Resilience in multicultural classrooms: School relationships can protect the school adjustment of immigrant, refugee and non-immigrant children.

Background: According to the risk and resilience perspective, protective factors can attenuate the effect of risks and challenges on children's adjustment. For immigrant and refugee children, supportive relationships in the new context can be particularly beneficial. We expected that supportive school relationships play a protective role for the school adjustment of first-generation immigrant and refugee and non-immigrant children, by moderating the effect of one acculturative challenge (i.

Supporting second language acquisition of bilingual preschool children through professionalization of caregivers in specialized preschool programs.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effectiveness of a training program on language support strategies and dialogic reading for caregivers working in specialized preschool programs. These programs serve children without a regular childcare place who grow up with one or more languages other than German as the environmental language. Recent studies investigating the development of children attending these programs found only moderate improvements in German receptive language skills, while language support quality of the programs was rated as average.

Socio-emotional adjustment throughout the COVID-19 pandemic: A longitudinal study of elementary school-aged children from low-income neighbourhoods.

Children's socio-emotional adjustment during the COVID-19 pandemic could depend on their pre-pandemic risk of heightened socio-emotional distress and available resources. In a sample of elementary school-aged children from low-income neighbourhoods in Germany, we examined children's socio-emotional adjustment throughout two pandemic-related school closing periods of 5 months each and explored possible determinants of their adjustment. On three occasions before and after school closing, home-room teachers reported on the distress of 365 children (M  = 8.

Sexual and Gender Minorities Facing the Coronavirus Pandemic: A Systematic Review of the Distinctive Psychosocial and Health-Related Impact.

Sexual and gender minorities (SGM) constitute vulnerable groups in many countries. Thus, they might be affected to a different extent than heterosexual and cisgender individuals by the Coronavirus pandemic. This systematic review aimed to summarize the state of international research on the mental and physical health-related as well as socioeconomic effects of the Coronavirus pandemic on SGM individuals.

Longitudinal interrelations between nonword repetition and vocabulary from age three to five: Evidence for within-child processes?

The relation between nonword repetition and vocabulary has been the focus of a theoretical controversy for several decades. The point of contention is whether the ability underlying nonword repetition drives vocabulary growth or vice versa. The present study examines longitudinal interrelations between nonword repetition and vocabulary from age 3 to 5 with random intercept cross-lagged panel models (RI-CLPMs).

Pre-school Teachers' Stereotypes and Self-Efficacy are Linked to Perceptions of Behavior Problems in Newly Arrived Refugee Children.

Since 2015, increased numbers of refugee families with pre-school-aged children have arrived in Germany. In pre-schools, teachers' professional competence for teaching those children and adapting to their socio-emotional needs has become increasingly important. Previous research linked teachers' stereotypes and cultural beliefs to their self-efficacy and enthusiasm when teaching immigrant children.

Exploring hair steroid concentrations in asylum seekers, internally displaced refugees, and immigrants.

The study of physiology in response to war and forced displacement can yield insight into the origin of stress-related mental health disorders. Previous studies found alterations in hair cortisol concentrations (HCC) in refugees. However, the direction of this alteration in HCC, as well as the association between HCC and psychological stress, remain unclear.

Refugee mother-child dyads' hair cortisol, post-traumatic stress, and affectionate parenting.

Refugees are a special population who experience adversity before, during and after forced displacement. Hence, many of them show post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS). PTSS can be transmitted from the mother to the child and are associated with alterations in cortisol responses.

Evaluation of a family-oriented parenting intervention for methamphetamine-involved mothers and fathers - The SHIFT Parent Training.

Introduction: A large number of people who use crystal methamphetamine in Germany are parents of young children. In the context of methamphetamine use, family situations and parenting are frequently impacted, and children are at risk of developing behavioral or emotional difficulties. SHIFT Parent Training was developed as a parenting intervention targeted specifically to the needs of methamphetamine-involved parents.

Mental Health Needs of Refugee Children in Specialized Early Education and Care Programs in Germany.

Refugee children are at risk to develop mental health problems, which have rarely been investigated in educational contexts. We conducted three studies in childcare programs for refugees in Germany. Children's behavior was assessed by educators on site (n = 84) and online (n = 50) using a two-stage-cluster sampling and on site (n = 107) using complete samples.

No evidence for effects of Turkish immigrant children's bilingualism on executive functions.

Recent research has increasingly questioned the bilingual advantage for executive functions (EF). We used structural equation modeling in a large sample of Turkish immigrant and German monolingual children (N = 337; aged 5-15 years) to test associations between bilingualism and EF. Our data showed no significant group differences between Turkish immigrant and German children's EF skills while taking into account maternal education, child gender, age, and working memory (i.

Methamphetamine Use in German Families: Parental Substance Use, Parent-Child Interaction and Risks for Children Involved.

Background: With an immense increase in methamphetamine use in Germany in the past decade, large sections of the drug-using community have been identified as parents of young children.

Objective: With the fast-emerging issue of psychosocial and familial consequences of methamphetamine use, this study focused on gaining an insight into substance use, parenthood, and parenting by German methamphetamine users, with special emphasis on the psychological outcomes for the children involved.

Methods: We conducted 24 qualitative interviews with parents (16 mothers and eight fathers), who were in outpatient treatment for their Crystal Meth use and were currently abstinent from using drugs.

Socio-Economic Status and Psychological Well-Being in a Sample of Turkish Immigrant Mothers in Germany.

This study analyzes the relation of socio-economic status and psychological well-being in a sample of 327 Turkish immigrant mothers in Germany. We assessed maternal psychological well-being with the CES-D-10, the Satisfaction with Life Scale, and selected items of the Hassles Scale referring to daily hassles. Mothers' SES was assessed by means of household income and maternal education.

Challenges and Solutions Perceived by Educators in an Early Childcare Program for Refugee Children.

Immigration to Germany peaked in 2016. More than 105,000 refugees below the age of 7 years arrived within 12 months. Since then, Germany and other host nations have been in need of strategies to cover the emerging demand for childcare services.

Factor Analysis of the Classroom Assessment Scoring System Replicates the Three Domain Structure and Reveals no Support for the Bifactor Model in German Preschools.

The quality of early childhood education and care (ECEC) is important for children's development. One instrument that was developed to assess an aspect of ECEC quality is the Classroom Assessment Scoring System for pre-kindergarten children (CLASS Pre-K). We examined the factorial validity of the instrument using data from 177 German preschool classrooms.

Expressive Morphological Skills of Dual Language Learning and Monolingual German Children: Exploring Links to Duration of Preschool Attendance, Classroom Quality, and Classroom Composition.

A growing body of research has been documenting environmental factors that support preschoolers' vocabulary skills. However, less is known about how environmental factors are related to morphological skills of dual language learners (DLLs) and single language learners (SLLs). We examined connections with preschool experiences by investigating the effects of duration of preschool attendance, classroom quality, and classroom composition variables (percentage of DLLs and percentage of children from families with a low socio-economic status) on preschoolers' expressive morphological skills.

Exploring Mental Health Status and Syndrome Patterns Among Young Refugee Children in Germany.

Refugee children share a large number of pre-, peri-, and post-migration risk factors, which make them vulnerable for developing mental health concerns. Within the last few years, a large number of families with young children have sought refuge in Germany. However, children's mental health status in Germany is mostly unclear.

Psychosocial problems in traumatized refugee families: overview of risks and some recommendations for support services.

This article is an abridged version of a report by an advisory council to the German government on the psychosocial problems facing refugee families from war zones who have settled in Germany. It omits the detailed information contained in the report about matters that are specific to the German health system and asylum laws, and includes just those insights and strategies that may be applicable to assisting refugees in other host countries as well. The focus is on understanding the developmental risks faced by refugee children when they or family members are suffering from trauma-related psychological disorders, and on identifying measures that can be taken to address these risks.

Balanced Cultural Identities Promote Cognitive Flexibility among Immigrant Children.

The acculturation complexity model suggests that immersion into dissonant cultures promotes cognitive skills in biculturals (Tadmor and Tetlock, 2006). In the present study, we examined links between identity acculturation and executive functioning (EF). Turkish-German immigrant origin children ( = 225; = 11 years, = 1.

Low ethnic identity exploration undermines positive interethnic relations: A study among Turkish immigrant-origin youth.

Objective: This longitudinal study investigates whether immigrant-origin youths' ethnic identity exploration moderates the link between ethnic identity commitment and positive interethnic relations, operationalized as cross-ethnic friendships.

Method: Turkish-German 4th graders (9-12 years old, n = 73) and 7th graders (13-15 years old, n = 67) reported on their cross-ethnic friendships at Time 1 and approximately 10 months later at Time 2. Commitment and exploration were measured at Time 1 with age appropriate versions of the Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure.

[Involvement of Turkish Immigrant Fathers Elevates Children's Well-Being].

This study examined paternal involvement in parenting, the association between parents' perception of mutual support, and the relation to their children's well-being before (t1) and after the transition to first grade (t2). Participants were first and second generation immigrant families from Turkey (n = 134). In addition, German families (n = 45) were included for the comparison of paternal involvement.

Culture and early infancy among central African foragers and farmers.

Everyday infant experiences among the Aka hunter-gatherers and the neighboring Ngandu farmers were observed and compared. Twenty Aka and 21 Ngandu 3- to 4-month-olds and 20 Aka and 20 Ngandu 9- to 10-month-olds were observed for 3 hr on each of 4 days so that all 12 daylight hr were covered. The Aka infants were more likely to be held, fed, and asleep or drowsy, whereas Ngandu infants were more likely to be alone and to fuss or cry, smile, vocalize, or play.