Critiquing Parenting Information 

CAUTION- this is heavy reading material- not suitable for sleep deprived or stressed parents unable to concentrate (LOL).

 

We all know that there are so many issues worthy of writing about and having an opinion about when it comes to parenting.

  We are also very aware of the amount of information available in various shapes and forms, whether it be an internet site, current affairs story on television, a book, the newspaper, direct from a research article or another parent.  Some parents feel a little lost and confused as a result.  I decided to write this article to help parents wade through some of the poorer information out there, so that they may be better informed and able to make clearer decisions.  This is loosely based on critiquing medical, nursing and scientific evidence and research articles, but hopefully I have been able to alter it enough to be useful for parents in everyday situations.  Working in a career where any decision I make has to be evidence based, I need to know how to interpret and critique information.  My aim is to assist parents in interpreting advice and choosing the best advice for their situation.

  There are many factors that determine a good source of information from a bad one.  These include:

The content

  Look for evidence that proves what the information claims.  Check for data or references to other articles and see if those references are credible.  Look for logical explanations of what the article intends on proving, how it has been proven and what may have influenced the outcomes.  Are the results consistent with the original hypothesis or research goal?

The source

  Different mediums for information have varying levels of credibility.  Anyone can put information on the internet and claim to be an expert. That’s not to say that all info on the net is bad, just that you need to analyse the content and the motive more carefully. Published journal articles are scrutinized more carefully as they represent a journal name and publishing body.  Television programs and newspaper articles tend to only give snippets of information that tend to be thought provoking for the purposes of obtaining more viewers/readers.  How often have we seen that exciting advertisement for the current affairs show claiming to be featuring the next possible cure for cancer, only to find that the facts are somewhat further from the truth.   

The author

  Ask yourself- who has presented the information and what is their motive?  Any possible author bias should be at least acknowledged.  If the bias is too strong then disregard the information.  Some potential biases include financial gain, religious motives, politics, cultural and social influences, personal beliefs and experience or traumatic experiences.

 How experienced is the author, how credible is the author and what qualifications does the author hold?

The funding

  Who is funding the presentation of this information and what are their motives?  The TV program wants viewers, the newspaper wants readers, the nappy company telling you that their nappy is most absorbent wants sales…catch my drift?  Even so called research that is funded by those same companies that have a personal or financial interest cannot be trusted.  Why do you think some companies make such a big deal out of advertising their independent research.

Subjective vs objective

  There are two types of main information available- evidence based from data collection and studies…….and expert opinion.  Expert opinion is based on experience and noting historical trends and do not arise from scientific investigation.  Often expert opinions are not in line with the scientific evidence (NHMRC, 2000, p.10).  In the realm of parenting, almost anyone can call themselves an expert, it doesn’t necessarily mean that their practices are the best.  Expert bodies will put out recommendations that have been based on scientific studies- as no-one expects every new parent to have to interpret every new study available.  Medical Boards will recommend for or against treatments for children based on evidence, SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) released sleeping recommendations based on evidence, government groups made laws for not smoking in cars with children are enforced based on evidence of passive smoking. These expert groups should be trusted, at least more so than an individual who claims to be an expert via the internet.  Even professional individual experts may disagree with the next professional individual, so caution should be taken before acting on any advice.  Advice may be theoretical/hypothetical, practiced/historical, evidenced/researched to varying levels.  Some issues cannot have data collected because of the nature of the issue of the multitude of variables.  In this case expert opinion is the only way to present information.

 

The variables, target group and how evidence is collected

  Scientific evidence will talk about randomized controlled trials, blinded or double blinded, pseudorandomised controlled trials, comparative studies etc, basically it’s all about different levels of eliminating variables and biases.  Unless you go straight to the article presenting the study facts and figures, you need to rely on others’ interpretations of these studies, and sometimes results are misinterpreted, depending on the authors’ qualifications and motives.

  Mostly these articles are not readily available to the public, but if you do come across study articles, here is what to look for.  Other than the author and the funding source for the study, you need to look at the design of the study.  A good study will have a control group, a large sample size- the number of participants will influence the accuracy of the result, strong measurement tools, its relevant to the group for which the results are targeted, and has eliminated as many variables as possible. 

  Good studies are randomized (people are randomly sorted into comparative study sample groups), blinded to some extent (either the subjects of the study don’t know which sample group they are in or both the sample group and those in care of the sample group are unaware of which group they are in- double blinded).  Blinding of groups leads to prevention of biases or influencing the results.   In medication trials blinding leads to prevention of the ‘placebo effect’ influencing results. 

  The best articles are those which have been written using multiple studies on the same issue and presenting all the outcomes and results with a comparative conclusion.

Relevance

  Before you decide if the information is appropriate for your situation, find out how relevant the info is to you.  For example, data and recommendations for medical/ surgical or parenting concerns for children in third world countries may not be relevant to your child who has ready access to clean amenities and services. 

  An example of variables affecting outcomes and being irrelevant: there are too many variables in the differences between American Amish communities or Australian Aboriginals that are living off the land and modern society to conclude any solid evidence when comparing behavioural outcomes, health and illness outcomes in children.  You can’t always compare results between communities and different lifestyles because there are so many different factors in play.  Results of studies in these communities are probably irrelevant to the decisions that you are seeking information for.  One must be very cautious then, when making conclusions that may affect decisions in a different environment and lifestyle to which the initial evidence was noted.

Parents’ opinions and biases

  If you are looking for information and you already hold a biased opinion, chances are there will be information out there to support your opinions.  It may not be good information, but it may be enough for some parents to talk themselves into a potentially bad decision.  If you can’t do an information search without bias, then it is impossible to make a fully informed decision, as the blinkers are on to all the possible information.  Think about arguments against the information presented in a particular information source, whether you hold preconceived biases or not.  This may be information you already know of, or information that you may need to seek.  There may be existing evidence to contradict the claim or advice.  This is where you may need to compare the advice and decide which source of information is the most credible, based on all the factors I am presenting here.

  Sorry to dig deep here but it may be difficult to psycho-analyse yourself and your motives behind your pre-conceived biases- especially if there has been pressure to make a certain decision or follow certain advice.  For example, one may try to find information to support their decision and allay any guilt (even if the true evidence states the opposite recommendations).  On the other hand, you may have a personal issue with someone who is offering advice and then go out of your way to find information that disproves them.

Age of the data

  Some information is timeless.  No matter how much time goes by, the information doesn’t have to change- women will always give birth (well at least for now!).  Other information changes very quickly, and every year a new research study may be released to update or outdate the last.  And some issues, the experts believe that all (or at least most of) the answers have been discovered- ie. Again: SIDS research and recommendations.  Depending on the topic, you may need to seek recent information (evidence based) or rely on tried and true (experience or expert opinion) methods.

 

In conclusion: Don’t believe everything you read, even if you want it to be true.  Be careful what links you provide to other parents as other mums and dads may be depending on this information to assist with big decisions.  Ask yourself, is this information credible? Before you decide to believe it.  The closer to the source, the better.  Check what the real experts recommend.  Parent safely and within the law.  Stay open minded.  Learn to see the facts over the theories.  Use common sense.  Trust no-one ().

OK, so not everything we do in parenting has to be evidence based, and most advice could be taken with a grain of salt, but on the really important issues (well, the issues that are at least important to you) where you choose to seek information, make sure you get the best information possible!!

 

Clear as mud? LOL.

 

 

NHMRC National Health and Medical Research Council, 2000, “How to Use the Evidence: Assessment and Application of Scientific Evidence”.