Publikationer

Research | Forskning - peer review

Parents’ perspectives on the role of kin in child-rearing: a qualitative study on Greenland’s universal parenting programme MANU

Nurturing care and protection from parents and community in the early years of life are fundamental for a child's development. The article aims to explore what relations parents see as meaningful in their child's upbringing and how these are shaped, and how these perspectives are reflected in MANU.… Nurturing care and protection from parents and community in the early years of life are fundamental for a child's development. The article aims to explore what relations parents see as meaningful in their child's upbringing and how these are shaped, and how these perspectives are reflected in MANU. MANU is a universal parenting programme in Greenland. Ten of 40 interviews with parents were selected for the analysis of this article's objective. Five grandparents were interviewed. Grandparents are the child's closest extended family members and provide support to parents. Parents placed between one to 19 extended family members in their child's network. Eating and being in nature together, along with familial and intergenerational connectedness, were deemed valuable and important aspects in child-rearing. Parents? own experiences in childhood can influence and complicate how parents place their new family within the extended family. The MANU materials address aspects in the role of kin that parents and grandparents described in interviews. The format and delivery of MANU aims to be universal and mostly addresses Western epistemologies, but both Western and Inuit epistemologies coexists in Greenland. This article creates a window into the existing context parents navigate in. It is important that initiatives are built within this context to ensure they are relevant to families. Læs mere

Research | Forskning - peer review

Historically, public health interventions in Greenland are primarily adopted from a Scandinavian context or developed centrally in the capital city instead of building on communities’ local resources and strengths. The aim of this article is to identify implementation determinants from professionals… Historically, public health interventions in Greenland are primarily adopted from a Scandinavian context or developed centrally in the capital city instead of building on communities’ local resources and strengths. The aim of this article is to identify implementation determinants from professionals’ perspectives in the implementation of the parenting programme Meeraq Angajoqqaat Nuannaarneq (MANU, meaning child’s and parent’s happiness) 0–1 Year, at the local level in three of Greenland’s five health regions. The study applied the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research. Semi-structured interviews with 18 health professionals and six managers in healthcare and with four municipality personnel were held. Additionally, data on staffing from the Board for Health and Prevention was gathered. Professionals agree on the importance of having a universal parenting programme, but it is not a priority to them. Characteristics of the programme were a barrier in implementation in some local contexts, such as professionals experiencing parents being uncomfortable with participating in group sessions. Many professionals felt it was a daunting task to facilitate a group session. MANU was also incompatible with existing workflows. High turnover in the healthcare system makes it difficult to implement and sustain programmes. Professionals found it difficult to apply supervision provided by the MANU team and, at times, did not feel recognised in their efforts. Adaptations were made to MANU to fit local contexts. The identified determinants hindering local implementation link back to MANU’s complexity and inadequate preparatory investigations made into aspects influencing implementation during MANU’s conceptualisation and development. Many of the barriers identified could have been prevented by involving local community perspectives from professionals and families from the outset of MANU. Læs mere

Research | Forskning - peer review

Parents’ perspectives on preparing for parenthood: a qualitative study on Greenland’s universal parenting programme MANU 0–1 year

Background: The transition to parenthood has received increasing attention in research, partly due to evidence pointing out the crucial developmental period of a child’s first thousand days. Parenting programmes aim to prepare and support families in their transition and distress. For a programme to… Background: The transition to parenthood has received increasing attention in research, partly due to evidence pointing out the crucial developmental period of a child’s first thousand days. Parenting programmes aim to prepare and support families in their transition and distress. For a programme to be implemented successfully it is important to consider parents’ needs and resources. Bringing parents’ perspectives and experiences to the forefront of the implementation of the Greenlandic parenting programme MANU 0–1 Year (MANU) is important for determining if the programme can meet its aim of contributing to thriving families. This study aims to investigate how parents’ notions and experiences of parenthood are reflected and challenged in MANU. Method: Data were collected in three of Greenland’s five municipalities. Qualitative interviews were held with 38 mothers and 12 fathers either individually or as couples: a total of 40 interviews. Additionally, a Sharing Circle with three fathers was held. Interviews were in Greenlandic or Danish. A thematic, inductive analysis was applied. Results: In their transition to parenthood, participants experienced a reprioritisation of their life and changes in their network. It is important to parents that their child experiences security and care, and participants describe this in contrast to their own childhood. Community is the most important value in child‑rearing. Conversations and advice from family members and friends are mentioned as a means to prepare for birth and parenthood. Additionally, conversations with midwives and MANU sessions were also used for preparation. Parents appreciated learning from and listening to other parents in MANU sessions. However, accessing MANU depends on the individual parent’s interest and ability to attend sessions. Conclusions: Parents’ notions and experiences of parenthood are addressed in the programme, but the use of MANU depends on the parents’ attendance and how it is organised and locally offered. The study suggests that MANU has the possibility to create a space for parents to reflect and prepare. However, for MANU to be universal as intended and to reach both mother and father the facilitation of sessions could be revisited. Læs mere