Psych Central News
Should Dads Ask Teens for Feedback?
Dr. Jeff Cookston, professor of psychology at San Francisco State University, believes, “There’s a need for fathers to sometimes say to their kids, ‘How am I doing? Am I the dad you need me to be?’”
“Kids are actively trying to make sense of the parenting they receive,” he said, “and the meaning that children take from the parenting may be as important, or more important, than the behavior of the parents.”
“I don’t think a lot of parents give these ideas about meaning much thought,” Cookston said.
“You may think that you’re being a good parent by not being harsh on your kid, for instance, but your child may view that as ‘you’re not invested in me, you’re not trying.’”
The way in which adolescents view their fathers’ behavior can vary depending on the child’s gender, ethnicity, and the presence of a stepfather in the child’s life, said Cookston.
Cookston and colleagues report their findings in a new study published in the Journal of Family Issues. The study included children from California and Arizona.
For the study, investigators examined how adolescents view their fathers’ actions; specifically, whether the teens attribute these actions to a dad’s overall character or to his reaction in a particular situation.
For instance, a daughter might believe her dad took her to the baseball game because he is a good father, or she might believe that he took her to the game because he likes to go to the game.
The study suggests that girls tend to believe that a father’s “enduring aspects” are responsible for a dad’s good deeds, while boys are more likely to think that dads do good depending on the situation.
Mexican-American children are more likely than their European-American peers to think that good times with dad depend on the situation.
Experts say the reasons for these differences are not clear, although in the case of boys and girls, it may be that girls are socialized to interpret other people’s behavior in a more positive light.
In Mexican-American families, the process of adapting to U.S. culture may increase family conflict, leading children to have a less optimistic view of their fathers’ good deeds.
Cookston says his research has shown that the relationship between father and child can have a significant impact on the child’s tendencies toward depression and behavior problems.
Father’s Day can be a good time for dads to rethink their relationship with their children, with a few tips that Cookston has gleaned from these studies:
- Be sure to check in with your child. Dads may be surprised by the “filters” their children use to interpret their behavior, making it important for fathers to regularly ask about the relationship. “Fathers should ask, ‘am I more or less than you need me to be?’, and children — particularly adolescents — should be able to say, ‘I need you to change course.’”
- Show emotional support. Dads provide everything from discipline to role modeling, but the fathers who emphasize their emotional relationships with their children often have kids that are less likely to behave in aggressive and delinquent ways.
- Don’t be afraid to switch up your style. If you weren’t always a warm and accepting father, it’s not too late to become one. “Parents can change, and kids can accept that. Parents need to be constantly adapting their parenting to the development and individual needs of the child.”
- Be a team player. Cookston’s research focuses on dads, but his work with divorced families has taught him how valuable it is when parents work together as a team. Children are more likely to talk to parents about family relationships if they see that they agree on parenting decisions, he noted, and “parents play unique, additive roles in their children’s lives.”
- Aim high as a dad. “We need to raise the bar for fatherhood. If a man is around and is a good provider and doesn’t yell at his kids and goes to soccer games, we say that’s enough. But we need to expect more in terms of engagement, involvement and quality interaction.”
Source: San Francisco State University
Teenager dad talking photo by shutterstock.
Depression Associated with Half of All PTSD
The Case Western Reserve analysis also concludes that both genders diagnosed with PTSD equally suffer from depression.
The finding is somewhat controversial because women tend to report more symptoms of depression and would seemingly have a higher rate of depression associated with PTSD. Also, many believe that women are more inclined to struggle with both PTSD and depression.
The findings were based on an analysis of 57 peer-reviewed studies, representing data on 6,670 people (civilians and military personnel) who suffered from PTSD.
Investigators say the study is the first to perform a comprehensive analysis of peer-reviewed literature on people with PTSD and major depressive disorder (MDD). Researchers concluded that 52 percent of the PTSD cases also reported symptoms of depression.
Before the study, estimates for individuals having both major depression disorder (MDD) and PTSD had ranged anywhere from 20 to 80 percent.
The analysis is published in the online issue of The Journal of Traumatic Stress.
PTSD is an anxiety disorder resulting from a traumatic incident in which flashbacks or unshakable thoughts about the trauma are common.
Depression is characterized by an overwhelming and lingering sense of sadness and hopelessness. Symptoms can range from “feeling blue” to thoughts of suicide.
“If individuals do not get a comprehensive assessment of what’s bothering them, one or the other can be missed,” said Case Western Reserve research associate Nina Rytwinski, Ph.D., the study’s lead author. “This high co-occurrence rate accentuates the importance of routinely assessing for both disorders.”
The findings also suggest important implications for improving how men with PTSD are treated.
Health-care providers tend to identify depression more frequently in women, while men can exhibit symptoms of depression that are misattributed to PTSD, Rytwinski said.
“The biases against men with PTSD symptoms put them at risk for under-diagnosis and under-treatment of a major depressive disorder,” she said.
For the study, researchers began with 1,500 studies on PTSD and MDD and narrowed the review to the 57 published referred studies. They focused on research about individuals who had experienced some physical or sexual assault trauma.
Researchers hope that by understanding how frequently people experience both disorders, clinicians may better address barriers to completing therapy, personalized treatment and overall care, the researchers report.
Source: Case Western University
Depressed woman soldier photo by shutterstock.
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