Kannattaako asiakkaan toimijuuden ja itseohjautuvuuden vahvistaminen?

A Mobile-Assisted Working Model for Supporting Daily Family Life

Despite rapid technological development, very few new technology-assisted tools have been developed specifically for use in family services. This article describes a new, mobile-assisted working model designed to enhance the quality of daily family life. The model has its origins in the existing research on daily family life and on the diary method, which has been widely used in data collection in family research. The model provides support for the daily life of client families in the intervals between meetings with family counselors via the use of text messages. The pilot study explored family members’ and family counselors’ experiences of using the model. Data on 26 parents and four chil…

Parental working time patterns and children's socioemotional wellbeing: Comparing working parents in Finland, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands

Abstract This cross-national study examined the connections between parental working time patterns (i.e., regular day work vs. nonstandard working hours) and children's socio-emotional wellbeing defined in terms of internalizing and externalizing problems and prosocial behavior. We also examined how the total number of hours worked, changes in work schedules, working overtime at short notice, and having an influence over one's work schedules were linked with children's wellbeing. Data were collected by a web survey from Finnish ( n  = 358), Dutch ( n  = 200) and British ( n  = 267) parents with children aged 3 to 12 years. The results showed, that in all three countries parents working nons…

Parisuhde pikkulapsiperheessä

The child diary as a research tool

The aim of this article is to introduce the use of the child diary as a method in daily diary research. By describing the research process and detailing its structure, a child diary, a structured booklet in which children's parents and day-care personnel (N = 54 children) reported their observations, was evaluated. The participants reported the use of the diary to be an interesting but time-consuming experience. The main ethical challenges were related to power positions, confidentiality, consequences and motivation. With respect to adults’ observations of children's emotions, the results indicated that the child diary is valuable in providing information about individual differences and da…

Nais- ja miesjohtajat työn ja perheen yhteensovittajina: voimia esimiestuesta.

Tutkimuksessa tarkasteltiin johtotehtävissä toimivien naisten (n= 126) ja miesten (n= 108) kokemuksia työn ja perheen välisistä ristiriidoista. Tutkimus perustuu Suomen Ekonomiliiton jäsenten keskuudessa tehtyyn kyselytutkimukseen. Sekä naiset että miehet raportoivat enemmän työstä perheeseen kuin perheestä työhön suuntautuvaa ristiriitaa. Miesjohtajat raportoivat kuitenkin naisjohtajia enemmän perheestä työhön ristiriitaa, toisin sanoen miesten keskuudessa perhe-elämän viemää aikaa, kuormittavuutta ja toimintatapoja pidettiin työntekoa haittaavana.Työstä perheeseen suuntautuvia ristiriitakokemuksia selittivät molemmilla sukupuolilla sekä työhön (etenkin vähäinen esimiestuki perheasioissa j…

Positive parenting and parenting stress among working mothers in Finland, the UK and the Netherlands : Do working time patterns matter?

This study explored the effects of working time patterns on positive parenting and parenting stress, and the moderating effects of working hours, the unpredictability of work schedules, and autonomy over working time in a European context. This cross-national survey study compared Finnish (n = 337), Dutch (n = 283) and British (n = 317) mothers with children under the age of 13, using structural equation modeling with a multigroup procedure. We found a connection between working time patterns and positive parenting but the nature of the connection differed between countries. In all three countries, no relationship was found between working time pattern and parenting stress, while unpredict…

Flexibly scheduled early childhood education and care: experiences of Finnish parents and educators

This study focuses on flexibly scheduled early childhood education and care (ECEC), an institutional childcare service for Finnish families where both parents, or a single parent, work non-standard hours. Although many countries nowadays offer extended hours day care, only Finland has a publicly provided, law-based system guaranteeing ECEC during non-standard as well as standard hours. We explore, drawing on parental survey data, what kinds of families use such services and when. Furthermore, we utilise web-survey data obtained from early educators to find out what they report as the main challenges involved in implementing flexibly scheduled ECEC. The results showed that single-parent fami…

Yhteisvanhemmuus ei ole sama kuin tasan jaetut kotityöt : olennaista on, että työnjako on molempien mielestä reilu

Hyvin toimiva yhteisvanhemmuus vähentää vanhempien uupumusta, ehkäisee eroja ja parisuhteen ristiriitoja sekä helpottaa työn ja hoivan yhteensovittamista. Perhepalveluiden tulisikin tukea yhteisvanhemmuutta nykyistä määrätietoisemmin, kirjoittavat professori Anna Rönkä ja dosentti Kaisa Malinen. nonPeerReviewed

Daily wellbeing in families with children: A harmonious and a disharmonious week

AbstractWhat makes daily life in families with young children harmonious, and are there better and worse times? Applying a daily approach, the present study examined one week in dual-earner families with young children, with special focus on families that reported either a harmonious or a disharmonious week in their family interaction. Quantitative and qualitative diary data were collected with mobile phones and with paper and pencil from 45 families. Fourteen families representing either disharmonious or harmonious interaction were chosen for a detailed analysis of good and difficult moments in the spousal and parent–child relationship. What most clearly distinguished these weeks was not t…

Work Schedules and Work–Family Conflict Among Dual Earners in Finland, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom

Many European families are affected by the 24/7 economy, but relatively little is known about how working parents experience nonstandard hours. The aim of this study was to analyze the possible associations of dual earners’ work schedules and other work-related factors with their experience of time- and strain-based work–family conflict. These phenomena were examined among dual earners living in Finland, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom, countries that differ in working time practices and policies. Multigroup structural equation modeling was used to analyze cross-cultural data on dual earners with children aged 0 to 12 years ( N = 1,000). The results showed that working nonstandard …

A Mobile Diary Method for Studying Children’s and Adolescents’ Emotions : A Pilot Study

Researching children’s and adolescents’ emotions from their own perspectives possesses special requirements for the data collection tools used. In this study, children’s and early adolescents’ emotions were investigated using a mobile diary method. The article describes and evaluates this data collection method and presents empirical results on fluctuation in the emotions of children and adolescents (n = 60, aged 7–14 years). The data, in the form of short text messages, were collected over one week. Every evening, children received seven questions on their emotions. Multilevel modeling was used to analyze the data. The results illustrate the potential of the mobile diary method with childr…

Good moments in parents' spousal relationships: A daily relational maintenance perspective

This study examined positively experienced spousal moments among couples with young children. The diary data were gathered from 95 women and 55 men in 95 Finnish families over a seven-day period using an open-ended question. Seven kinds of activities were identified in the descriptions of moments: doings, conversations, presence, positivity, physical intimacy, support, and conflict management. Doings related to shared tasks and favors as well as conversations concerning catching up and family issues were more often mentioned by women than by men. Notably, positive spousal moments also often included children who were described as a landscape for the spousal relationship, as participants in …

Encountering ethics in studying challenging family relations

This article focuses on ethical considerations in the study of challenging family relations. Our perspective derives from multidisciplinary family studies, including social sciences, psychology and educational sciences. Our concerns include why and how to apply a sensitive approach in studying challenging family relations, and what the key ethical issues are in studies of this kind. We examine questions of multiplicity in family relations, the particularity of vulnerable family relations and the roles of researchers and gatekeepers in the research process. The article is based on a research project where informants were both children and adults, and both qualitative and quantitative data we…

Temperamentin yhteys parisuhteen laatuun ja kestävyyteen 42-vuotiailla naisilla ja miehillä

An examination of nonresponse in a study on daily family life: I do not have time to participate, but I can tell you something about our life

The aim of this study was to look at the issue of nonresponse and self-selection bias in the context of a family study on daily family life. Data on the participating families and refusers were gathered as part of the wider Palette study in which questionnaires and diaries were used as data collection methods. On the basis of these data (N = 208 participating families and 119 refuser families), we profile the families left outside the study. The parents who declined to participate in the Palette study were asked to fill in a short refusal form, which included questions concerning their family background and reasons for refusal, and they were also asked to write freely about their everyday l…

Capturing daily family dynamics via text messages: development of the mobile diary

In this paper we introduce a new tool, the mobile phone, for use in diary research. We demonstrate, with reference to two family studies conducted in Finland, how daily family dynamics can be captured by using the mobile diary. In both studies family members sent text messages (SMSs) in answer to structured diary questions three times a day over a one-week period. The participants kept also paper-and-pencil diaries. Two mobile diary items measuring mood (stressfulness and feelings of competence) both at home and at work are reported here as examples. For both items we found statistically significant daily and weekly variation as well as individual fluctuation. The data gathered by the mobil…

Like ships passing in the night? Nonstandard work schedules and spousal satisfaction in Finland, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom

This study examined the associations of work schedules and spousal satisfaction among Finnish (n = 347), Dutch (n = 304) and British (n = 337) parents. In addition to comparing parents with nonstandard schedule with parents in regular day work, the study examined separately the roles played in spousal satisfaction of morning, evening, night and weekend work and other working time-related variables (working hours, changes in and influence over one’s work schedules and spouse’s work schedule). The three-country data were analyzed using structural equation modeling with a multigroup procedure in Mplus. Little evidence for negative associations of work schedules and related factors with spousal…

Accentuating the Positive, Eliminating the Negative? Relationship Maintenance as a Predictor of Two-Dimensional Relationship Quality

In this study, relationship maintenance and its connections with positive and negative relationship quality were examined among Finnish parents (N = 177 women and 153 men; i.e., partners from 150 couples and 27 women and 3 men whose partner did not participate in the study). Relationship maintenance was measured using Stafford, Dainton, and Haas's (2000) version of the RMSM and two-dimensional relationship quality using Fincham and Linfield's (1997) PANQIMS. Structural equation modeling was utilized to analyze paired data. Women were found to report more relationship maintenance behaviors than their partners. The results showed further that relationship maintenance was connected with both p…

Asiakasosallistuminen ja sen johtaminen lapsi- ja perhepalveluiden johtajien kuvaamana

Tutkimuksessa tarkastellaan lapsi- ja perhepalveluiden johtajien ja esimiesten näkemyksiä asiakasosallistumisesta ja sen johtamisesta. Asiakasosallistumisen käsitteeseen sisällytetään kokemusasiantuntijuus ja vertaistuki sekä muut asiakkaiden tai potilaiden osallistumisen muodot. Tutkimuksessa kysytään, miten lapsi- ja perhepalveluiden johtajat ja esimiehet kuvaavat asiakasosallistumista ja perustelevat asiakkaiden mukaanottoa palvelun tuottamiseen. Lisäksi tarkastellaan, millaista on asiakasosallistumisen johtaminen lapsi- ja perhepalveluissa haastateltujen kuvauksen perusteella. Aineisto koostuu 25 teemahaastattelusta, jotka tehtiin järjestöjen sekä kunnallisten sosiaali- ja terveyspalvel…

Mobile Diary Methods in Studying Daily Family Life

This chapter introduces a mobile diary data collection tool and discusses its use in the field of family research. Although the mobile diary method is a newcomer in the field of family research, its history is rooted in the larger context of the development of methods for investigating daily life. Mobile phones offer several advantages for studying daily family dynamics: user friendliness, cost-effectiveness, the ability to capture daily emotions, interactions and significant moments, and data reliability and validity. Mobile diaries utilize various mobile phone services, including SMSs and applications, and they are increasingly used also with children. The benefits of mobile diaries in fa…

Professionals’ views on children’s service user involvement

Purpose Children are gradually attaining recognition as service users and their involvement in service development has been advanced in recent years. This study draws on empirical research in social and health-care services designed for children and families. The purpose of this paper is to analyse how professionals understand children’s involvement as experts by experience. The focus is on professionals’ views and intergenerational relations. Design/methodology/approach The research data comprise 25 individual and 10 group interviews with managers and professionals working in social and health-care services in one Finnish province. The data were analysed using qualitative thematic analysi…

Perhe- ja lapsityön ammatilliset asiantuntijuudet kokemusasiantuntijuuden kontekstissa

Tutkimuksessa tarkastellaan ryhmähaastatteluaineiston avulla lapsi- ja perhepalveluiden ammattilaisten asiantuntijuutta suhteessa kokemusasiantuntijuuteen. Tutkimuksessa havaittiin kolme erilaista ammatillisen asiantuntijuuden muotoa. Ensimmäinen asiantuntijuuden muoto nimettiin yhteistyöasiantuntijuudeksi, mikä viittaa asiakkaiden kanssa yhteiseen tiedonmuodostukseen ja toimintaan. Toinen, perinteinen asiantuntijuus, taas pysyttelee tiukasti ammattiroolissa tarjoten vain rajoitetusti tilaa kokemusasiantuntijuudelle. Kolmatta ammatillisen asiantuntijuuden muotoa kutsutaan eettiseksi vartijuudeksi. Siinä painotus on käytännöllisesti ja konkreettisesti eettisyyden valvonnassa, mikä näkyy suht…

The difficulty of being a professional, a parent, and a spouse on the same day : daily spillover of workplace interactions on parenting, and the role of spousal support

Designing parenting interventions and preventions requires knowledge on the factors and processes that shape parenting behaviors. Using data collected over 10 days, during the last hour of work and before going to bed, this study examined the spillover of interpersonal work stresses into positive and negative parenting behaviors. Data were collected among 103 couples who had at least one child between the age of one and eight years. Of particular interest was the role of received emotional spousal support as a moderator of stress spillover. Dyadic variants of multilevel models were used to analyze the data. The results showed that on days on which mothers or fathers reported stressful inter…

Kumman vuoro? Kotityön ja vanhemmuuden jakamiselle annetut perustelut epätyypillisen työajan perheissä

Aiemman tutkimuksen mukaan epätyypillinen työaika haastaa sukupuolten työnjaolle annettuja perusteluja, koska näissä perheissä on usein tilanteita, jolloin toinen vanhemmista kantaa yksin vastuuta kodista ja lapsista toisen ollessa töissä. Tarkastelemme tässä tutkimuksessa, millaisia perusteluita suomalaiset, epätyypillistä työaikaa tekevät vanhemmat antavat kotityön ja vanhemmuuden jakamiselle perheessään. Hyödynsimme epätyypillistä työaikaa tekevien vanhempien haastatteluiden (n=34) analyysissa aiemmassa tutkimuksessa löydettyjä sukupuolten työnjaon seli- tysmalleja sekä kategoria-analyysia. Löysimme viisi työnjaon perhetyyppiä: Naishoivaajien perheissä äidit perustelivat sukupuolittunutt…

Happy Spouses, Happy Parents? Family Relationships Among Finnish and Dutch Dual Earners

Contains fulltext : 90432.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Closed access) In this study links between spousal and parent-child relationships among Finnish (n = 157 couples) and Dutch (n = 276 couples) dual earners with young children were examined using paired questionnaire data. Variable-oriented analyses (structural equation modeling with a multigroup procedure) supported the spillover hypothesis, as higher levels of satisfaction in the spousal relationship were related to higher quality in the parent-child relationship and lower parental role restrictions. These connections did not differ by gender or country. With family typological analyses (mixture modeling), 4 family types were identified…

Psychometric properties of the Assessment Tool for Perceived Agency (ATPA-22) - utility for the rehabilitation of young adults not in education, employment or training (NEETs).

Background: Promoting and supporting agency have been at the heart of the debate multidisciplinary. To promote self-awareness of young people’s agency and identify persons in need of support the Assessment Tool for Perceived Agency (ATPA-22) was developed. Aim: This study aims to evaluate the psychometric properties of the ATPA-22. Participants were young adults not in education, employment or training (NEETs) and students in higher education (HEI). Materials and methods: The main data analysis was implemented by Many Faceted Rasch (MFR) analysis. Results: The ATPA-22 items defined a unidimensional construct with reasonable internal consistency and separation ability. The ATPA-22 was capabl…