Caregiver-child Interactions Research Articles

THE INFLUENCE OF MOTHER-CHILD ATTACHMENT AND CAREGIVER-CHILD INTERACTION ON PRESCHOOL CHILDREN’S SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

In dual-earner families, the mother's role in fostering social-emotional development in children must be complemented by support from other caregivers, such as daycare staff. This study examines the impact of child and family characteristics, mother-child attachment, and caregiver-child interactions on the social-emotional development of preschool children attending daycare. Utilizing a quantitative approach with a cross-sectional design, the research was conducted in a daycare facility located in Bogor and included 40 mothers and their children, along with 20 caregivers. The findings revealed a significant positive relationship between mother-child attachment and children’s social-emotional development. Conversely, negative interactions between caregivers and children—particularly those characterized by harassment and detachment—were found to have a significant detrimental effect on children’s social-emotional development. Additionally, the analysis indicated that a secure mother-child attachment positively influences children’s social-emotional development, while negative interactions, such as harassment, detachment, and permissiveness among caregivers, adversely affect this aspect of development.

Prenatal representations link pregnancy intention to observed caregiving

ABSTRACT Aims/Background Children from unintended pregnancies are at an increased risk of experiencing less positive parenting practices as well as abuse and neglect. Thus, identifying factors that may explain the association between pregnancy intention and caregiving behaviours is critical, as well as identifying if these associations can be assessed during pregnancy. Design/Methods In a sample of 297 pregnant people (Mage = 31.17, SD = 4.89; gestational age range 9.71–35.14, M = 23.55, SD = 5.54) and, later, their 6-month-old infants, this prospective study examined the degree to which two facets (i.e. acceptance and richness of perceptions of the child and their role in being a parent for that child) of caregivers’ prenatal mental representations of the child explained the association between pregnancy intention and the caregiver behaviour observed during caregiver – child interactions in infancy. Results Results indicated that caregiver–child interactions following pregnancies that were intended, relative to those non-intended, were rated as higher in caregiving sensitivity and warmth. These relations were explained, in part, by a greater richness of perceptions, but not through acceptance. Conclusion Findings suggest richness of perceptions as a potential target for exploration in interventions to support pregnant people who were not intending to become pregnant as a means to promote positive caregiver – child relationships.

Task-sharing to promote caregiver mental health, positive parenting practices, and violence prevention in vulnerable families in Sierra Leone: a pilot feasibility study.

The prevalence of household violence in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) is high, and exposure to violence has significant adverse effects on both mental health and child development across generations. Evidence-based services to improve parenting practices and reduce household violence in LMICs are scarce, particularly across rural regions of West Africa. This study explored the feasibility, acceptability, and potential benefits of an evidence-based home-visiting intervention to promote early childhood development and reduce household violence-the Family Strengthening Intervention for Early Childhood Development and Violence-Prevention (FSI-ECD + VP)-among vulnerable families in rural regions of Sierra Leone. Eighty dual-caregiver households in the Makeni region of Sierra Leone were included in the study (N = 160 caregivers; 73% female). Eligibility criteria included having at least one child aged 6-36 months and elevated scores (> 62.5) on the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS). Community Health Workers (CHWs) employed in the Makeni region completed a 3-week FSI-ECD + VP training. Families were randomized to receive either the FSI-ECD + VP or treatment as usual (TAU). Research assistants blinded to treatment assignment assessed caregiver mental health, caregiver-child interactions, and household violence at baseline, post-intervention, and 3-month follow-up time points. Triangulation of quantitative and qualitative data showed that caregivers, CHWs, and supervisors generally perceived the intervention as beneficial, feasible, and acceptable. Mixed effects models showed that caregivers who received the FSI-ECD + VP had significantly improved caregiver-child relationship outcomes compared to TAU as assessed by the Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment and the Observation of Caregiver-Child Interactions at post-intervention. Preliminary data also suggests that caregivers receiving the FSI-ECD + VP were less likely to have experienced intimate partner physical violence during the post-intervention period, and had lower symptoms of anxiety and depression at 3-month follow-up. FSI-ECD + VP delivery by CHWs in Sierra Leone may be feasible and acceptable; it may also help improve caregiver-child interactions and reduce the likelihood of household violence among vulnerable families with young children. Task-sharing approaches may help increase acceptability and access to evidence-based behavioral interventions that promote early childhood development and violence prevention among families in rural regions of Sierra Leone and other similar settings. The study is registered in clinicaltrials.gov (NCT03045640; 07/22/2020). This study follows the Consort 2010 guidelines for reporting of clinical trials.

Transactional models of depression via caregiver-child interactions: Evaluating conflict resolution as a source of resilience in adversity-exposed families

BackgroundYouth who experienced early life caregiving adversity (ECA) are at increased risk for developing depression, which may in part reflect a heightened vulnerability to the deleterious effects of later-life stressors, including poor caregiver mental health and interpersonal conflict. Transactional models posit bidirectional influences between caregivers and children that operate over development and more proximally across interactions. ObjectiveTo address gaps in knowledge of bidirectional influences between caregivers and children, and differences therein based on ECA exposure, we evaluated the effects of caregiver and child depressive symptoms on their own and each other’s emotion-related behavior during conflict resolution, and the effects of their behavior on their own and each other’s changes in affect expression from conflict resolution to a recovery task. Participants and setting161 caregiver-child dyads (child age 6–16 years; 49 % female youth; 45 % caregivers of ECA-exposed youth) participated in videorecorded conflict resolution and subsequent recovery tasks. MethodsCaregivers reported on their own and their child’s depressive symptoms. Trained coders rated caregiver and child positive and negative affect and supportive and unsupportive emotion-related behavior. ResultsContrary to expectations derived from models of stress-sensitization, results of actor-partner interdependence models demonstrated positive associations between caregiver depressive symptoms and supportive child behavior, among ECA-exposed families. Among these families, only, child supportive behavior was also associated with greater increases in subsequent caregiver positive affect during the recovery task. ConclusionsIn contrast to models of stress-sensitization, youth supportive reactions to caregiver distress may initiate positive spirals that transcend interactions. Implications for intervention efforts are discussed.

Vocal Characteristics of Children With Cerebral Palsy and Anarthria.

This study aimed to investigate the vocal characteristics of children with cerebral palsy (CP) and anarthria using the stage model of vocal development. Vocal characteristics of 39 children with CP and anarthria around 4 years of age were analyzed from laboratory-based caregiver-child interactions. Perceptual coding analysis was conducted using the Stark Assessment of Early Vocal Development-Revised to examine vocal complexity, volubility, and consonant diversity. Children predominately produced vocalizations corresponding to the two earliest stages of vocal development characterized by vowel-like utterances. They showed a limited attainment of consonantal features with low consonant diversity and variably low vocal rates. Our results demonstrate that underlying neurological impairments resulting in an anarthric status in children with CP affect the progression of speech motor development and their ability to advance beyond early vocal stages. These findings highlight the importance of considering alternative communication modalities for children demonstrating similar vocal characteristics beyond expected periods of development.

Trauma-Informed Positive Parenting in Primary Care as a Tool to Support Child and Family Well-Being.

Factors affecting caregiver health and wellbeing, such as trauma and stress, can have significant negative impact on parenting behaviors and on subsequent child physical and mental health. Trauma-informed positive parenting (TIPP) is an effective tool that acknowledges and addresses a family's unique journey and needs, while promoting both nurturing caregiver-child interactions and appropriate limit setting. Primary care practices are in unique positions to provide such interventions, due to their long-standing and trusted involvement with families. Therefore, we propose that TIPP can feasibly be incorporated into the pediatric primary care setting to support overall family health and well-being. [Pediatr Ann. 2024;53(10):e360-e365.].

The complexity of opportunities to respond used by mothers and fathers of children with Down syndrome: A preliminary investigation.

Caregiver-child interactions are commonly used to examine children's language learning environment. However, few studies consider interaction configurations beyond dyadic interactions or explore the conceptual complexity of caregiver talk. Thus, we examined if the complexity of a caregiver's opportunities to respond (OTR) varied when sampled across three interaction configurations. Our study included twelve preschool-aged children with Down syndrome and both of their biological parents. Our preliminary findings suggest no differences in mothers' and fathers' frequency of OTRs across complexity levels during dyadic interactions. However, caregivers produced fewer OTRs across complexity levels during family choice than dyadic interactions.

Beyond babysitting: an analysis of the quality of childcare service in Ethiopia

ABSTRACT Empirical evidence underscores the importance of investing in early childhood care to ensure its quality. This study examined the quality of child care in day-care centers in Bahir Dar and Gondar cities, Amhara region, Ethiopia, employing an embedded mixed-methods approach. Utilizing descriptive and inferential statistics, including t-tests, regression analysis, and thematic analysis, the research assessed both distal quality – encompassing environmental and staffing conditions – and proximal quality – focusing on caregiver–child interactions. The findings revealed significant deficiencies in distal quality, including inadequate space, activities, and staff qualifications. Proximal quality was also found to be lacking, with government centers exhibiting higher levels of harshness in caregiver interactions compared to private centers. Key factors influencing interaction quality were staff education, experience, and child-to-worker ratios. Despite existing regulatory standards, their enforcement was found to be inadequate. The study recommends that policymakers enhance and enforce regulations, improve staff training and invest in professional development. Further research should explore regulatory enforcement challenges and assess the long-term impacts of training improvements on care quality.

Contingency and Synchrony: Interactional Pathways Toward Attentional Control and Intentional Communication

In this article we examine how contingency and synchrony during infant–caregiver interactions help children learn to pay attention to objects and how this, in turn, affects their ability to direct caregivers’ attention and to track communicative intentions in others. First, we present evidence that, early in life, child–caregiver interactions are asymmetric. Caregivers dynamically and contingently adapt to their child more than the other way around, providing higher-order semantic and contextual cues during attention episodes, which facilitate the development of specialized and integrated attentional brain networks in the infant brain. Then, we describe how social contingency also facilitates the child's development of predictive models and, through that, goal-directed behavior. Finally, we discuss how contingency and synchrony of brain and behavior can drive children's ability to direct their caregivers’ attention voluntarily and how this, in turn, paves the way for intentional communication.

Impact of an 8-Week, Intensive Summer Treatment Program on Improving Coercive Caregiver-Child Interactions Among Children With and Without Callous Unemotional Traits

The coercive process is the primary explanatory mechanism implicated in the maintenance of disruptive behavior disorders (DBDs), and understanding the coercive cycle may be especially important for caregivers with children with elevated callous-unemotional (CU) traits. The purpose of the current pilot study is twofold. First, we assessed whether the Summer Treatment Program (STP), an established intensive behavioral intervention for children with DBDs, reduced coercive caregiver-child interactions using a novel parent-report measure of coercive interactions. We then sought to assess whether the STP improved coercive caregiver-child interactions among children with elevated CU traits (i.e., moderated the effect). Thirty-three caregivers and their children who had been diagnosed with DBDs participated in the STP, which involved the children receiving behavior modification for 9 hours per day and caregivers attending a weekly behavioral parent training group session over the course of 8 weeks. Children (Mage = 8.51 years old, SD = 1.70, range 6–12) were primarily male (78.5%) and Hispanic/Latine (84.8%). A linear multilevel model revealed a statistically significant improvement in caregiver-child coercive interactions from pre- to posttreatment. However, child pretreatment CU traits moderated this effect such that families with children with elevated CU traits did not show improvement in caregiver-child coercive cycles following treatment. Results suggest the benefits of intensive behavioral treatment on the caregiver-child coercive cycle for many families, but the need to modify the intensity or dose of treatments for those with children with DBDs and elevated CU traits.

Effect of parenting centers on caregiver mental health ——Evidence from a large scale randomized controlled trial in rural China

In the context of economic development, the escalating prevalence of depression, anxiety and stress poses substantial challenges, not only impacting individuals' physical and mental well-being but also exerting a profound influence on future human capital. This study conducts an exploratory analysis of the effects of a center-based early childhood development intervention on the mental health of the caregivers, utilizing data from a cluster randomized controlled trial involving 1652 caregivers in rural China. Over the course of two years, caregivers and children in 50 villages received individualized parenting training, one-on-one parenting classes, and access to open play spaces in village parenting centers. Our findings reveal sustained and significant intervention effects on caregivers' anxiety and stress symptoms. The primary mechanisms driving these effects include increased parenting time investment, alterations in parenting styles, and changes in the level of trust in others. Furthermore, our research demonstrates that the positive treatment effects on mental health outcomes are more pronounced among caregivers of children who initially lower development skills. The intervention exhibits a stronger impact on caregivers with lower educational attainment, particularly when the caregivers are grandmothers. These results underscore the importance of governmental attention to mental health issues in rural China, suggesting avenues for intervention through the provision of parenting knowledge and spaces facilitating caregiver-child interactions. This research contributes valuable insights into addressing mental health challenges in rural settings, promoting effective strategies for future policy implementation.

The effectiveness of installing playful learning landscapes in everyday urban spaces

ABSTRACT How can city planners, developmental scientists, designers, architects, and public/private institutions come together to leverage the 80% of children’s waking time spent outside of school to benefit their development? One answer is the Playful Learning Landscapes (PLL) initiative, which marries the learning sciences with urban revitalization to craft carefully planned playful learning experiences that focus on learning outcomes. Playful Learning Landscapes installations placed in high traffic environments in cities ensure maximal exposure, aligning with best practices in the field of prevention science. Results of this meta-analysis provide initial evidence that PLL installations demonstrate large effects on caregiver behavior and caregiver-child interaction, and medium effects on child behavior, in comparison to either control sites or pre-PLL installation. Results also suggest the presence of two significant moderators: the presence of community involvement and type of PLL (permanent physical installations versus pop-ups). While the number of studies included here is small, these findings are encouraging and suggest that continued investment in creating and evaluating new PLL installations is appropriate.

Dynamic self-regulation and coregulation of respiratory sinus arrhythmia in mother-child and father-child interactions: Moderating effects of proximal and distal stressors.

This study examined how proximal and distal familial stressors influenced the real-time, dynamic individual and dyadic regulation of respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) in mother-preschooler and father-preschooler interactions in at-risk families (N = 94, Mage = 3.03 years, 47% males, 77% White, 20% Latinx, data collected 2013-2017). Proximal stressors were operationalized as changing task demands (baseline, challenge, recovery) across a dyadic puzzle task. Distal stressors were measured as parent-reported stressful life events. Multilevel models revealed that greater proximal and distal stressors were related to weaker dynamic self-regulation of RSA in mothers, fathers, and children, and more discordant mother-child and father-child coregulation of RSA. Findings affirm that stress is transmitted across levels and persons to compromise real-time regulatory functioning in early, developmentally formative caregiver-child interactions.

Capturing the complexity of child behavior and caregiver-child interactions in the HEALthy Brain and Child Development (HBCD) Study using a rigorous and equitable approach

The HEALthy Brain and Child Development (HBCD) Study, a multi-site prospective longitudinal cohort study, will examine human brain, cognitive, behavioral, social, and emotional development beginning prenatally and planned through early childhood. This article outlines methodological considerations and the decision-making process for measurement selection for child behavior, parenting/caregiver-child interactions, and the family/home environment for HBCD. The decision-making process is detailed, including formation of a national workgroup (WG-BEH) that focused on developmentally appropriate measures that take a rigorous and equitable approach and aligned with HBCD objectives. Multi-level-observational and caregiver-report measures were deemed necessary for capturing the desired constructs across multiple contexts while balancing the nuance of observational data with pragmatic considerations. WG-BEH prioritized developmentally sensitive, validated assessments with psychometrics supporting use in diverse populations and focused on mechanistic linkages and prediction of desired constructs. Other considerations included participant burden and retention, staff training needs, and cultural sensitivity. Innovation was permitted when it was grounded in evidence and filled key gaps. Finally, this article describes the rationale for the selected constructs (e.g., temperament, social-emotional development, parenting behaviors, family organization) and corresponding measures chosen for HBCD visits from early infancy through 17 months of age.

Caregiver and child question types during a museum interaction.

Children museums provide an engaging learning environment for families with exhibits designed to stimulate caregiver-child interactions. Specific types of questions have been shown to support child language learning by scaffolding more elaborative responses. This study analyzed the use of question form types during caregiver-child interactions in a children's museum, aiming to discern their correlation with child language proficiency. We examined and transcribed two exhibit explorations by 43 caregiver-child dyads (3- to 6-year-old children). Our analysis encompasses various syntactic question types (e.g., yes-no, wh-) and measures of child language proficiency, including lexical diversity, morphosyntactic complexity, and overall language ability. Findings reveal disparities in question form usage among caregivers and children, with caregivers predominantly employing closed questions and children balancing closed and open-ended types. Children of caregivers who predominantly posed closed questions exhibited shorter utterances and lower overall language scores. Details on other question forms are presented (sub-types of polar, wh-, alternative, and echo). These findings contribute to our understanding of how question form influences language development and caregiver-child interactions.

Caregiver response types and children language outcomes in preschoolers with and without hearing loss in Aotearoa New Zealand

ABSTRACT Recent advances in audiological early intervention and hearing technologies have significantly improved access to spoken language for children with hearing loss (CwHL), but many CwHL require additional support to match the language development of their peers with normal hearing (PwNH). Programmes such as It Takes Two to Talk®, the Hanen Program® and Talking Matters focus on supporting parents to enhance children’s language development in natural environments. Analysis of response types has become a significant trend, facilitated by technological developments like Language ENvironment Analysis (LENA®), which provides uninterrupted recordings and automated calculations of adult–child interactions. This research examined three child language measures, child vocalisation counts, total number of words, and mean length of utterance, comparing CwHL and PwNH. Transcribed excerpts of LENA recordings were coded to determine caregivers’ use of ‘high-level’ responses in exchanges with their children and were correlated with child language outcomes. The results confirm the crucial role of caregiver response types in enhancing child language outcomes and exemplify the bidirectional relationship of caregiver-child interactions. The findings add to the literature to suggest that families and educators would benefit from guidance and coaching to acquire and apply high-level response types during natural spoken language interactions with CwHL.

Roles of caregiver-child interaction on the association of socioeconomic status with early childhood development: a population-based study in rural China

ObjectiveSocioeconomic status (SES) has been previously associated with children’s early development, health, and nutrition; however, evidence about the potential role of caregiver-child interaction in such associations was limited. This study aimed to explore the effect of caregiver-child interaction on the associations of SES with child developmental outcomes, including early neurodevelopment and social-emotional behavior.MethodsA cross-sectional survey was conducted among 2078 children aged 0–6 in a rural county that just lifted out of poverty in 2020 in Central China. The Ages & Stages Questionnaires-Chinese version (ASQ-C) and the Social-Emotional (ASQ: SE) questionnaire were used to assess children's early neurodevelopment and social-emotional behavior, respectively. Caregiver-child interaction was evaluated with the Brigance Parent–Child Interactions Scale. Regression-based statistical mediation and moderation effect were conducted with the PROCESS macro of SPSS.ResultsChildren with low SES had an increased risk of suspected neurodevelopmental delay [OR = 1.92, 95% CI: 1.50, 2.44] and social-emotional developmental delay [OR = 1.31, 95% CI: 1.04, 1.66]. The caregiver-child interaction partially mediated the associations of SES with child developmental outcomes; the proportion of the indirect effect was 14.9% for ASQ-C total score and 32.1% for ASQ: SE score. Moreover, the caregiver-child interaction had a significant moderation effect on the association of SES with ASQ-C total score (P < 0.05). A weaker association was observed in children with high-level caregiver-child interaction than in medium and low ones. Similar moderating effects were found among boys but not girls.ConclusionCaregiver-child interaction plays a vital role in the relationship between SES and child development. Children with low SES households will benefit more in terms of their early development from intervention programs strengthening caregiver-child interaction.

Vision Verbs Emerge First in English Acquisition but Touch, not Audition, Follows Second

AbstractWords that describe sensory perception give insight into how language mediates human experience, and the acquisition of these words is one way to examine how we learn to categorize and communicate sensation. We examine the differential predictions of the typological prevalence hypothesis and embodiment hypothesis regarding the acquisition of perception verbs. Studies 1 and 2 examine the acquisition trajectories of perception verbs across 12 languages using parent questionnaire responses, while Study 3 examines their relative frequencies in English corpus data. We find the vision verbs see and look are acquired first, consistent with the typological prevalence hypothesis. However, for children at 12–23 months, touch—not audition—verbs take precedence in terms of their age of acquisition, frequency in child‐produced speech, and frequency in child‐directed speech, consistent with the embodiment hypothesis. Later at 24–35 months old, frequency rates are observably different and audition begins to align with what has previously been reported in adult English data. It seems the initial orientation to verbalizing touch over audition in child–caregiver interaction is especially related to the control of physically and socially appropriate behaviors. Taken together, the results indicate children's acquisition of perception verbs arises from the complex interplay of embodiment, language‐specific input, and child‐directed socialization routines.

The effects of maternal competence and situational stress level on children’s help-seeking expectations across 4 to 6 years of age

Help-seeking is a crucial problem-solving strategy for young children. However, it is not yet clear how children weigh different cues to make help-seeking decisions across preschool years, especially in caregiver–child interactions. The current study used a social expectation task to examine the effects of maternal competence and situational stress level on 4- to 6-year-old children’s help-seeking expectations from a third-party perspective. Children’s expectations of whether to seek help were measured. A total fo 135 Han Chinese children aged 4 to 6 years from an eastern city of China participated in this study. We found that 4- to 6-year-olds expected to seek more help from a competent mother than from an incompetent mother in low-stress conditions. When the stress level was high, however, they expected to seek help regardless of maternal competence levels. These results suggest that the interaction between the situational stress level and maternal competence determines young children’s help-seeking expectations across preschool years. They further suggest that young children seek help from mothers in an active and discriminatory way.

Background TV and infant-family interactions: Insights from home observations.

Background television has been found to negatively impact children's language development and self-regulatory skills, possibly due to decreased parent-child interactions. Most of the research on the relationship between background TV and caregiver-child interactions has been conducted in laboratory settings. In the current study, we conducted home observations and investigated whether infants engage in fewer interactions with family members in homes where background TV is more prevalent. We observed 32 infants at the ages of 8, 10, and 18months in their home environments, coding for dyadic interactions (e.g., parent talking to and/or engaging with the child), triadic interactions (e.g., parent and infant play with a toy together), and infants' individual activities. Our findings revealed that background TV was negatively associated with the time infants spent in triadic interactions, positively associated with time spent engaging in individual activities, and not significantly related to the time spent in dyadic interactions. Apart from the relationship between background TV and individual activity time at 8months, these associations remained significant even after accounting for families' socioeconomic status. These findings imply a correlation between background TV exposure and caregiver-infant-object interactions, warranting a longitudinal analysis with larger sample sizes.