Families in transition periods: what can we learn from five-minute speech samples?

CONTEXT & CHALLENGE: Despite growing recognition that researchers and family-oriented professionals urgently need to ‘stand in the shoes’ of parents, current studies typically rely on survey methods that give parents few opportunities to express themselves in their own words. Hearing parents’ views is especially important during periods of transition, which often represent turning points for both parents and children. AIMS & OBJECTIVES: Our proposal capitalises on the availability of 2000+ transcripts from the five-minute speech sample paradigm, gathered across three studies that each focus on a distinct and important transition period: becoming a parent, adjusting to a child’s serious health condition, and supporting a child during the early school years. Across these three datasets (corresponding to Work Packages 1-3 (WP1-3), we will explore commonalities and differences in families’ experiences of transition periods. Framed by self-determination theory - which posits that connectedness, competence and autonomy are ‘basic psychological needs’ - we will seek to identify opportunities for health-care professionals and educators to enhance support for both parents and children. WP1 draws on an ESRC-funded longitudinal study of new fathers and mothers and has the twin objectives of: (i) documenting the hopes and fears of expectant parents, especially the seldom-heard group of expectant fathers; and (ii) identifying codes and categories associated with positive and negative mental-health trajectories. WP2 draws on speech samples gathered from parents who, as part of the Next Generation study, received rapid genetic testing to identify the cause of a serious child health condition. Here, the twin objectives are to explore codes and categories to identify: (i) similarities and contrasts between these families and families of healthy children examined within WP1; and (ii) whether within-group variability relates to clinical dimensions of diversity (e.g., in age at diagnosis, and de novo versus inherited condition). WP3 draws on a recent ESRC-funded longitudinal study of 200 families of children who started school in September 2020 (i.e., in the peak of the pandemic). Importantly, alongside five-minute speech samples, this study included direct observations of parent-child interactions at each time-point (Reception and Year 1), with a further 140 children being followed up to Year 3 to include a multi-measure index of individual differences in children’s mental resilience. We will examine (i) age-related changes in children’s problem-solving skills; (ii) whether the narrative coherence of parents’ speech samples predicts gains in children’s higher-order thinking skills; and (iii) features of parent-child talk that might promote child resilience. APPLICATIONS AND BENEFITS. In addition to traditional academic outputs, we plan to deliver video and/or audio-file resources to give healthcare and educational professionals greater insights into the often-neglected experiences of parents during transition periods. Through careful and sustained engagement of stake-holder groups, we will ensure that these resources address key topics of concern for parents and are made widely available to maximise their impact. As part of our legacy, our engagement events will serve to connect organisations with shared values and interests in supporting families during key transition periods.