Spring arrives, bringing with it a sense of new vitality, and it is also the time for KIT to launch the latest wave of its survey. We thank all the parents, teachers, and children for their support and continued participation. This new edition covers several interesting topics, including a brief overview of the Christchurch Health and Development Study (CHDS), some KIT findings related to parental self-efficacy, a special feature on Prof. Yu-Wen Chen from the Department of Social Work at NTU, and a book review of “Six-Dinner Sid.” This storybook, written and illustrated by Inga Moore, tells the story of a mischievous cat named Sid who lives in a neighborhood and has six different owners, each of whom believes the cat belongs only to them.

Christchurch Health and Development Study (CHDS)
The Christchurch Health and Development Study (CHDS) has been established for over 40 years. Initiated in 1977, this long-term health tracking project is funded by the Health Research Council of New Zealand. It follows the health and education of 1,265 babies born in 1977 in the Christchurch urban region. The study collects data from questionnaires, interviews, and cognitive function tests to record their growth and life experiences from birth through childhood, adolescence, and into adulthood.

Over 500 scientific articles utilizing CHDS data have been published, covering a diverse array of research topics. These include alcohol and cannabis use, psychological, social, and functional impairments stemming from lifelong mental illness, long-term psychosocial effects of childhood maltreatment, interactions between mental illness and gene/environment, psychosocial consequences of major disasters, the relationship between personality traits and social psychological abilities in adulthood, changes in women over 40 undergoing menopause, and social psychological factors related to obesity. In 2019, the CHDS project concluded interviews with participants upon reaching the age of 40.

Interested readers can find more information about CHDS at https://www.otago.ac.nz/christchurch/research/healthdevelopment.

Highlight of KIT Findings
In family science, "parental self-efficacy" refers to a parent's subjective assessment of whether they possess sufficient ability to competently fulfill their parenting role and carry out child-rearing tasks. Numerous studies on parental self-efficacy have concluded that it is incredibly important and has positive effects on both children and parents. Parental self-efficacy is not only associated with warm, caring, and supportive parenting behaviors but also with better physical and mental health for both parents and children, as well as improved development across various dimensions and enhanced social adaptation. Given the importance of parental self-efficacy, do parents in Taiwan generally have a strong sense of it? The answer to this question can be found by analyzing the KIT data.

In the KIT survey, one of the questions, "I think I am capable of teaching my child well," reflects the parental self-efficacy of parents with young children in Taiwan. The response options included "Strongly disagree," "Disagree," "Agree," and "Strongly agree." The data were collected from either the father or the mother, who served as the primary caregiver for KIT-M3 children at the ages of 1, 2, and 3 years. Due to the low number of responses in the "Strongly disagree" category, these were combined with the "Disagree" category. Below are our findings:

(1) For fathers specifically, the data from the parent questionnaires showed that the proportion of respondents selecting "Strongly agree" and "Agree" for the statement "I think I am capable of teaching my child well" remained consistently high across the three time points, at 95.2%, 95.0%, and 94.3%, respectively.

(2) The data from the parent questionnaires, where the mother was the primary caregiver, similarly indicated that the proportion of respondents selecting "Strongly agree" and "Agree" for the same statement was also consistently high across the three time points, with 93.7%, 92.8%, and 91.9%, respectively.

(3) Whether the parent questionnaires were completed by the father or the mother, the proportions of responses for "Strongly agree," "Agree," and "Disagree" or "Strongly disagree" remained fairly stable. The only exception was when the child was 3 years old, where the proportion of mothers, as primary caregivers, selecting "Strongly agree" showed a slight increase compared to when the child was 1 and 2 years old.

In summary, the data indicate that parents of young children in Taiwan generally have a relatively good sense of parental self-efficacy, although there is still room for improvement. From a researcher's point of view, it is important to remind parents that parental self-efficacy is a subjective evaluation. While it is related to a parent's knowledge and abilities, it is not entirely determined by them. For instance, if a parent places excessively strict demands on themselves to be a perfect parent, even if they possess a great deal of knowledge and skills in raising and educating their children, they may still experience lower parental self-efficacy due to overly rigid self-expectations.

About Prof. Yu-Wen Chen
Professor Yu-Wen Chen currently serves as a professor in the Department of Social Work at National Taiwan University, specializing in youth-related social services and welfare policies. She has led several projects funded by the National Science Council, the Ministry of Education, and the Ministry of Health and Welfare, and has published numerous papers both domestically and internationally. Prof. Chen is particularly focused on the needs and welfare of disadvantaged children and adolescents. She actively promotes and enhances the realization of children's rights through her involvement in international collaborative research projects, serving as a member of the Executive Yuan's Social Welfare Promotion Committee and the Executive Yuan's Promotional Team for Children and Youths Welfare and Right. Additionally, she holds board positions in major domestic social welfare organizations such as World Vision Taiwan and the Taipei Women's Rescue Foundation.

Since 2016, Prof. Chen has been part of a research team composed of members from 35 countries. In collaboration with the Taiwan Fund for Children and Families and World Vision Taiwan, she has conducted surveys on the subjective well-being of 8, 10, and 12-year-old children, including general children, economically disadvantaged children, and indigenous children in Taiwan. In 2022, she continued her collaboration with this international team, focusing on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on children. The findings from these studies have provided crucial information for relevant policy formulation, particularly in promoting and implementing children's rights.

Additionally, Prof. Chen has worked together with the University of Sydney in Australia on research concerning transnational adoption and indigenous children's welfare. She is also dedicated to technological innovation in the field of social welfare. Utilizing big data analysis, AI machine learning, and text mining techniques, she has optimized the child protection system, demonstrating the importance and foresight of interdisciplinary integration.

Prof. Chen has not only deepened the academic understanding of child and adolescent welfare research but also promoted the implementation of children's rights in practice. Her extensive experience in international cooperation and interdisciplinary research significantly contributes to strengthening KIT’s international collaboration in Phase IV.

Book Review
"Six-Dinner Sid," both written and illustrated by Inga Moore, is a delightful children's book. It tells the story of a mischievous cat named Sid who lives in a neighborhood. Sid cleverly convinces six different families to feed him, each unaware that he belongs to others as well. Sid enjoys six dinners every night until his secret is inevitably revealed. The book teaches children valuable lessons about honesty, sharing, and the consequences of deception, all while entertaining its young readers.

Its English version is available at Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/dp/0671796135), and readers can find its Chinese version at Books.com.tw (https://www.books.com.tw/products/0010954182). Click https://youtu.be/GiF4DBHgrG8 to listen.