The trajectory of children's social competence from 18 months to 30 months of age and their mother's attitude towards the praise.

Ryoji Shinohara,Japan Children's Study Group Japan Children'S Study Group,Yuko Yato,Taeko Watanabe,Yuka Sugisawa,Yoko Onda,Maki Hirano,Lian Tong,Yuri Kawashima,Emiko Tanaka,Etsuko Tomisaki,Noriko Yamakawa,Tokie Anme,Gan-Yadam Amarsanaa,Yukiko Mochizuki,Kentaro Morita

doi:10.2188/jea.je20090168

Ryoji Shinohara, Japan Children's Study Group Japan Children'S Study Group + Show 14 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.2188/jea.je20090168

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Abstract

BackgroundPraise from caregivers has been shown as an important influence on the development of social competence in early adolescence. However, the effects of praise in younger children have not been investigated. We examined how the trajectory of children’s social competence from 18 months to 30 months of age was related to their caregiver’s attitude towards the importance of praise at times when their child was 4 months and 9 months old.MethodsWe studied 155 mother-child dyads, whose interactions during play were observed both when the child was 18 months and 30 months old, which was conducted as part of a Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) project. The child’s social competence was assessed using the Interaction Rating Scale (IRS). Demographic data was obtained when the child was 4 months old, and the caregiver’s attitude towards the importance of praise when the child was both 4 months and 9 months old. A logistic regression analysis controlling for the effects of demographic variables was performed.ResultsWe found that children who had received continuous praise from their mother when they were 4–9 months of age had a decreased risk of low social competence at 18–30 months of age.ConclusionsA mother’s attitude towards the importance of praise at early stages of her child’s development has an important influence on the later trajectory of social competence.

Highlights

In Japan the methods available for assessing children’s social competence are limited, and there is an urgent need to develop more suitable methods. This is important for research purposes, and for health care and welfare specialists, who may be able to beneficially apply such methods when administering child care. We previously addressed this issue by developing a Japanese version of the Interaction Rating Scale (IRS), an easy-to-use measure that validly and reliably assesses several aspects of children’s social competence.[5]
Participants and overview Data was obtained from 199 mother-child dyads enrolled in a longitudinal study of social development conducted as part of a project initiated by the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST)
There was a significant relationship between the trajectory of children’s social competence and the trajectory of the mother’s (P = 0.023), but not the father’s, attitude towards praise. These findings are supported by the results of our multiple logistic regression analysis, which revealed a significant (P = 0.015) and more than 3-fold increase in the risk of a child being in the Low transition group for every incremental step downwards in the mother’s trajectory of attitude towards praise score, from 3 to 0

Summary

Introduction

Many studies have found that positive parenting behavior facilitates the development of children’s social competence, and that praise is one of the most important contributing factors.Previous research into the effects of praise on children has shown that achievement incentive is influenced by the extent to which parents provide positive verbal feedback in the early stages of development,[1,2] and that a high frequency of praise is associated with the development of high self-esteem.[2,3,4] the subjects of these reports were 14-year-old children who had been studied from the age of two years, and there have been few studies on toddlers less than two years old.An increase in antisocial behavior and aggression among school-aged children has led to an increased interest in the development of children’s social competence. In Japan the methods available for assessing children’s social competence are limited, and there is an urgent need to develop more suitable methods. This is important for research purposes, and for health care and welfare specialists, who may be able to beneficially apply such methods when administering child care. We previously addressed this issue by developing a Japanese version of the Interaction Rating Scale (IRS), an easy-to-use measure that validly and reliably assesses several aspects of children’s social competence.[5]. Conclusions: A mother’s attitude towards the importance of praise at early stages of her child’s development has an important influence on the later trajectory of social competence

Methods

Results

Conclusion