Family structures and functioning are profoundly shaped by broader social conditions, particularly in contexts marked by economic instability and social transition. This paper examines the impact of social problems such as extreme poverty, addictions, migration, prostitution, and violence on family organization, roles, and relational dynamics, with specific reference to North Macedonia. It draws on the results from a mixed-methodology empirical research carried out in 2025 to analyze social risks faced by biological families in North Macedonia as reasons for child separation and placement into alternative care. The study employed a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative survey data from the Centers for Social Work with qualitative data from focus groups and semi-structured interviews. Sampling was purposive and stratified by region and stakeholder group to ensure representation across all eight statistical regions in North Macedonia and key target populations. The total sample included 16 Centers for Social Work (53% coverage), 34 professionals, 79 children, and 59 parents and foster carers. The presentation of findings is based on individual and family narratives to provide a more authentic and nuanced understanding of their lived experiences.

The study demonstrates how structural vulnerabilities shape family functioning in a post-socialist, economically stratified society. Unemployment, income inequality, and regional disparities—especially in rural and marginalized communities—produce chronic stress and poverty, leading to parental strain and disrupted caregiving. Addictions, including alcohol, gambling, and drug use, intensify conflict and financial instability. Labor migration reshapes family structures, affecting supervision, emotional bonds, and gender roles. Prostitution, trafficking, and domestic violence further undermine well-being and social inclusion. These risks interact cumulatively, increasing family fragility. The paper calls for integrated policies and services addressing poverty, addiction, and stronger protection mechanisms against violence.

With the world becoming modernized, sustainable transport systems with an emphasis on public transport are being implemented. Despite the right to movement and freedom from degrading treatment being considered fundamental rights in Sri Lanka, incidents of occupational deviance among bus workers are common in Sri Lanka. These include selective boarding, balance fraud in ticket issuance, aggressive driving, verbal disputes, and physical assaults against commuters. Since this behavior threatens safe, accessible, and sustainable transport systems, this study was conducted to identify the relationships between occupational deviance and commuter rights, gender, and institutional response. Conducted between October and December 2025, this employed a quantitative research design, with a stratified sample of 384 passengers from Galle Road (A2). After obtaining informed consent from the respondents, data were collected using a structured questionnaire and analyzed using SPSS. Multiple regression analysis revealed that balance fraud and commuter demanding rights are significant predictors of verbal aggression (R² = 0.64, p < 0.001). Moreover, selective boarding between 22:00 and 04:00 and the presence of male young adult commuters served as a significant cause for physical assaults (F (2, 381) = 18.42, p < 0.001). Finally, a systematic accountability deficit was identified, with 84% of respondents reporting complaints being redirected, while the binary logistic regression revealed the probability of taking an action was statistically negligible (p < 0.05). Based on the above findings, it can be concluded that Galle Road bus transportation operates with the normalization of deviance, the violation of commuter rights, and inefficient redress mechanisms. Therefore, a systematic change with occupational liability to pick up passengers, introducing a demerit system, and a centralized digital complaint system will be working solutions. Further research should examine the condition in other corridors, including roads, with comparative studies to identify international best practices.

Introduction

Bullying remains a pervasive public health and social problem worthy of prevention at its core. While experts continually demonstrate the importance of microsystems in a child’s life, primarily as models of appropriate social behavior, many prevention efforts focus instead on school-based interventions. Compared with other approaches, little attention has been given to parenting behaviors as a bullying prevention. This phenomenological study explores the lived experiences of parents who exhibit characteristics of bullying-inducing behaviors in parenting. Bullying-inducing behaviors, a new term among bullying literature, refer to higher levels of authoritarian and/or permissive parenting behaviors. This study expands the definition of parenting using bullying-inducing behaviors as a parenting style characterized by excessively aggressive and less nurturing behaviors toward children, unclear rules, high expectations, and extreme punishments for mistakes (high-authoritarian), or minimal expectations for behavior, no guidelines for behaviors, and a lack of boundaries (Broll & Reynolds, 2021; West & Yockey, 2024; Butts, 2024).

Methods

A purposeful sample of 15-20 parents or guardians from Virginia community service organizations will participate in a two-phase data collection process that includes the Parenting Styles and Dimensions Questionnaire (PSDQ) to select a high-authoritarian sample, as well as semi-structured interviews. Parents and guardians who score a mean of 2.4 in the PSDQ will be invited to participate in the interview process. Dates, times, locations, and/or video conferencing software will be at the discretion of the respondent. Data will be analyzed using Creswell and Poth’s five-step phenomenological method to identify significant statements and emergent themes.

Results and Anticipated Conclusions

Results are pending the completion of respondent screening and semi-structured interviews. Projected findings include a deeper understanding of the lived experiences of parents who use bullying-inducing parenting behaviors, as well as the individual, familial, social, and cultural factors that contribute to childhood bullying, and the development of informed prevention strategies.

Introduction

While the relationship between parental health and children’s well-being has received increasing attention, the role of fathers’ mental health in shaping young children’s mental health remains underexplored. This study examines the association between fathers’ perceived mental health status and the perceived mental health of children using nationally representative survey data.

Methods

Data were drawn from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS), a large-scale national survey of U.S. families and individuals. The sample included 7,685 children aged 2–7 years and their fathers. The outcome variable, children’s perceived mental health status, was recoded into a binary variable representing optimal versus suboptimal mental health. Covariates included children’s demographic characteristics, health conditions, and family socioeconomic factors, as well as fathers’ health status, education level, employment status, and other family characteristics.

Feature selection was conducted using the Boruta algorithm with 10-fold cross-validation to identify the most relevant predictors of children’s mental health. Based on the feature selection results, weighted binary logistic regression models were conducted to examine the relationships between selected variables and children’s mental health outcomes.

Results

Results indicated that fathers’ perceived mental health, fathers’ health status, family income, children’s health status, presence of medical conditions, and child age were among the most important predictors. Children whose fathers reported suboptimal mental health were significantly more likely to experience suboptimal mental health themselves.

Conclusions

These findings highlight the importance of considering paternal well-being within family-centered approaches to children’s mental health. The presentation also invites dialogue and potential cross-national collaborations to examine similar relationships across different cultural and policy contexts.

Introduction

Inflation is the biggest growing concern, which not only makes daily commodities expensive for people but also impacts their social and psychological well-being. Karachi is the biggest metropolitan city in Pakistan, and houses around 18.5 million people. Nearly 70% of the city is troubled by inflation. This study aims to explore multifaceted effects of inflation and economic instability on emotional and psychological well-being and prospects of children in low-income families in urban slums of Karachi.

Methods

Using a qualitative approach rooted in interpretive phenomenology, case study interviews were conducted to gain an in-depth understanding of participants' lived experiences across multiple urban slums in Karachi, Pakistan. Data was gathered by conducting semi-structured interviews with both parents and children of twenty-five different households to analyse a dyadic perspective on increased household stress due to inflation. This study focuses on the struggles of both parents and children in making up everyday expenses with their limited wages and the effects this has on their mental and emotional well-being. Furthermore, it focuses on the assessment of children to trace the effects of family dynamics. The data were analysed using thematic analysis, focusing on variables such as household size and income, children's working age, and domestic relational dynamics.

Results

Key findings of this study include the problems children are facing in low-income groups. With parents hardly earning enough to make it past each day, children are expected to contribute to households from a very early age, which results in discontinuation of their education. Working not only exposes them to hard work but to societal dangers too. Healthcare is negligible and illness becomes a financial burden. Multidimensional poverty in these families shakes the entire environment of the household: daily quarrels, distressed yelling and verbal and physical outbursts of family members on children who show visible signs of stress, anxiety and social withdrawal.

Conclusion

This study concludes that inflation imposes a profound and visible burden on the lives of children in Karachi, which extends beyond material deprivation to psychological well-being. The findings emphasise the need for targeted social protection policies and inflation-indexed child support programs.

Exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life (EBF) is essential for infant survival and development, yet it remains challenging in low-income urban settings where mothers face substantial time and workload constraints. This study examines whether the degree of marital union formalization at time of pregnancy is associated with EBF among young mothers in Nairobi’s informal settlements, and whether pregnancy-period support from partners and kin helps explain this association.

We use retrospective survey data from 1,203 mothers in Nairobi, Kenya. EBF is reconstructed from the reported timing of first introduction of any non-breastmilk liquids and solid/semi-solid foods. UF is measured on a 0–5 scale based on the timing of key union steps reached during pregnancy (e.g., co-residence, kin introductions, bridewealth-related steps, and formal ceremony). We estimate staged logistic regression models and mediation models in a potential-outcomes framework, interpreting mediation as an associative decomposition given the observational design.

Mothers in more formalized unions during pregnancy had higher odds of EBF for six months. UF was also associated with higher odds of receiving partner support during pregnancy, particularly help with household chores. Mediation analyses suggest a small indirect association through partner housework support, while most of the UF–EBF association remains unexplained by the measured support indicators. These findings highlight the relevance of pregnancy-period relationship contexts and partner engagement for understanding breastfeeding patterns in poor urban settings.

Introduction: Supporting children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) at school involves constant family supervision, which can affect the emotional well-being of caregivers. This study examines factors associated with this emotional burden in the context of school support, focusing on family experiences.

Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted using an online questionnaire administered to 205 caregivers of children with ADHD residing in Spain. Participants were recruited through a non-probabilistic convenience sampling procedure via family associations an online networks in Spain. Although this constitutes a limitation and the sample is not representative of the wider population, the participation of 205 caregivers provides a sufficiently robust basis to offer insights into the topic under study. Six indicators were assessed using a 5-point Likert scale (1-5), focusing on (i) help with schoolwork, (ii) the emotional impact of the children's behavior, (iii) attributions concerning ADHD-related difficulties, (iv) frustration with tasks, (v) perceived teacher support, and (vi) extracurricular support. Given the ordinal nature of the variables, descriptive statistics were calculated using medians (Md) and quartile deviations (QD). Descriptive statistics and Spearman correlations with correction for multiple comparisons (FDR) were calculated.

Results: Findings showed high levels of family involvement in the children's schooling (Md= 4.33; QD= 0.33), accompanied by a school-related experience perceived as moderately demanding (Md= 3.33; QD= 0.50). Caregivers' emotional burden was associated with attributions concerning ADHD-related difficulties and with children's frustration regarding schoolwork. These results suggest that families' interpretations of children's academic difficulties play an important role in caregivers' emotional well-being.

Conclusions: Emotional burden among families is associated with children's frustration and with attributions concerning ADHD-related difficulties, suggesting that how families interpret these experiences plays a fundamental role in their emotional well-being. These findings highlight the need for interventions that not only address the children's educational needs but also incorporate specific strategies aimed at supporting families' emotional well-being.

Introduction. Volunteerism in later life is often explained by socioeconomic resources, but family relationships may also shape whether and how older adults engage in unpaid helping activities. This study examined whether family-related factors help explain differences in formal and informal volunteerism between Asian midlife and older adults and other ethnoracial groups in the United States. Methods. Data were drawn from pooled 2004-2020 waves of the Health and Retirement Study, using a cross-sectional sample of adults aged 50 to 75. Logistic regression models estimated the odds of formal and informal volunteerism across ethnoracial groups, with Asians as the reference group. Models first adjusted for demographic characteristics (e.g., health, education), and then added family-related factors, including family network composition, household size, contact with family members, financial support, and positive and negative emotional support. Results. More frequent contact with family members was associated with higher odds of both formal (OR = 1.197, p < .01) and informal volunteerism (OR = 1.342, p < .001). In contrast, negative emotional support from family, such as criticism, excessive demands, or feeling let down by relatives, was associated with lower odds of both formal (OR = .294, p < .05) and informal volunteerism (OR = .219, p < .01). Larger household size was also associated with lower odds of informal volunteerism (OR = .686, p < .01). However, even after accounting for these family-related factors, differences between Asians and Whites remained significant for both formal (OR = 1.635, p < .05) and informal volunteerism (OR = 1.782, p < .01). Conclusion. These findings suggest that family relationships are relevant to volunteerism in later life, but do not fully explain ethnoracial differences involving Asians. Policies aimed at promoting volunteer engagement should therefore take family context into account, particularly when designing outreach and support strategies for diverse ethnoracial groups.

Introduction:
Divorce has risen across Europe since the 1970s, yet Southern European countries have long exhibited lower levels than many Western settings. This study compares divortiality patterns and attitudes toward divorce in Greece, Italy, Spain, and France, examining how institutional context, cohort change, and values interact. France is included not as a normative benchmark nor as a proxy for “Western Europe,” but as a theoretically relevant contrast case with a distinct historical and institutional trajectory.

Methods:
We combine (i) official divorce and marriage statistics by marriage duration from the European Divorce Observatory (EDO), the Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT), Eurostat, the Instituto Nacional de Estadística – Spain (INE), the Institut National de la Statistique et des Études Économiques – France (INSEE), and the Istituto Nazionale di Statistica – Italy (ISTAT) to compute the Total Divorce Rate (TDR) and median duration at divorce (France 1952–2016; Italy 1971–2022; Greece 1972–2023; Spain 1981–2022); and (ii) individual-level data from the European Values Study 2017, accessed via the Longitudinal and Demographic Survey (LADS, 2018) (pooled N=8,494). Unconditional acceptance is defined as reporting that divorce “always justifies” (10/10). Analyses include descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, binary logistic regression, and tree-based machine learning models (Random Forest, XGBoost, LightGBM, CatBoost) with feature-importance and SHAP diagnostics.

Results:
Since 2010, divorce affected about 46% of marriages in France and 49% in Spain, compared with 27% in Italy and 28% in Greece. Unconditional acceptance is highest in France (36.5%) and Spain (32.9%) and lower in Greece (25.5%) and Italy (23.4%). Acceptance declines with age (≈1.1% lower odds per year) and is lower among men, the religious, and the married or widowed, while higher among those viewing marriage as outdated. Random Forest achieved high recall (0.87), and both RF and XGBoost identify age and religiosity as dominant predictors.

Conclusions:
Divorce behaviour and attitudes are shaped by cohort dynamics and institutional change, supporting a reciprocal values–behaviour interpretation of family change across Southern Europe and the French contrast case.

Introduction: Grounded in a family systems perspective, family functioning is considered a key determinant of adolescents’ psychological well-being during this critical developmental stage. However, empirical evidence based on adolescents’ own perceptions remains limited in primary health care settings. This study aimed to examine the association between perceived family functionality and psychological well-being among early adolescents.

Methods: A quantitative, descriptive–correlational, cross-sectional study was conducted in a Family Health Unit in northern Portugal using convenience sampling. The sample comprised 48 adolescents aged 11 to 13 years. Data were collected through a self-administered questionnaire including sociodemographic variables, the Smilkstein Family APGAR, and the reduced version of the Psychological Well-Being Questionnaire (QGBEP-R). Descriptive and inferential statistical analyses were performed to explore associations between variables.

Results: Most participants perceived their families as highly functional (77.1%), and psychological well-being scores were above the midpoint of the scale (mean = 20.3). Adolescents whose parents lived together and younger participants reported significantly higher perceived family functionality and psychological well-being. A positive and statistically significant association was identified between family functionality and psychological well-being.

Conclusions: The findings suggest that adolescents’ perceptions of family functionality are positively associated with their psychological well-being. Although the small convenience sample limits generalizability, the results provide preliminary evidence supporting the relevance of assessing family dynamics from the adolescent’s perspective and may inform family-centered nursing interventions in primary care settings.