Children's Social-emotional Adjustment Research Articles

Parental Phubbing and Child Social-Emotional Adjustment: A Meta-Analysis of Studies Conducted in China.

Parental phubbing refers to the act of parents using mobile phones in the presence of their children instead of engaging with them. With increasing smartphone use in many households, parental phubbing is a potential threat to children's healthy development. This meta-analysis synthesized the existing evidence on the impact of parental phubbing on children's social-emotional development to examine the effect sizes and identify the moderators. Following the PRISMA guidelines, we conducted a systematic search across multiple electronic databases (Web of Science, EBSCO, ProQuest, Springer, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure) from 2012 to May 2023. Our search included both English and Chinese literature, encompassing published journal articles as well as thesis. To assess the risk of bias, we utilized the Quality Assessment Tool for Observational Cohort and Cross-Sectional Studies. Publication bias was evaluated using funnel plot interpretation and Egger's regression intercept. Our comprehensive search identified 42 studies with 56,275 children and 59 effect sizes. A random-effects meta-analysis revealed that parental phubbing was positively associated with children's internalizing problems (r = 0.270; 95% CI [0.234, 0.304]) and externalizing problems (r = 0.210; 95% CI [0.154, 0.264]), while negatively correlated with children's self-concept (r = -0.206; 95% CI [-0.244, -0.168]) and social-emotional competence (r = -0.162; 95% CI [-0.207, -0.120]). Furthermore, the parental phubbing group moderated the association between parental phubbingand internalizing problems, when both parents engage in phubbing, there is a stronger association with children's externalizing problems compared to when only one parent is engaging in phubbing. The findings of this meta-analysis provide strong evidence supporting the detrimental effects of parental phubbing on child social-emotional adjustment. Consequently, parents, researchers, and the government must collaborate to mitigate parental phubbing and promote the healthy development of children's social-emotional abilities.

Patterns of coparenting and young children's social-emotional adjustment in low-income families.

This study identified coparenting patterns using data collected across 2007-2010 from low-income couples (N=2915; 26.90% non-Hispanic White; 9.41% non-Hispanic Black; 34.24% Hispanic, 29.27% other or mixed race) with young children (M=3.65 years; SD=1.31 years; 48% girls) and examined relations with children's social-emotional adjustment. Latent profile analysis revealed four coparenting patterns: mutual high-quality (43.4%), moderate-quality, mothers less positive (31.8%), moderate-quality, fathers less positive (15.9%), and low-quality, mothers less positive (8.9%). When parents' perspectives on coparenting were positive and congruent, children fared best. Children also fared well when coparenting quality was moderate, and mothers were less positive than fathers. When coparenting quality was moderate and fathers were less positive than mothers, children showed the poorest adjustment.

Mother-father relationships and child social-emotional adjustment: Mediation through maternal and paternal parenting

Mother-father relationships are one of the most important contexts for children's social-emotional development during early childhood. Using data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (family N = 1,438; child ages of 3, 5, and 9), we examined whether mother-father relationships influence child social-emotional adjustment through the mediating role of parenting. Maternal and paternal coparenting behaviors and maternal parenting stress mediated the association between mother-father relationships and child social-emotional adjustment. Dyadic data from mothers and fathers also revealed similarities and differences in how parents’ own and partner's perceptions of their marital relationships were associated with parenting between mothers and fathers. Findings underscore the importance of considering children's social-emotional adjustment from a family systems perspective.

Building a Predictive Model of Social-Emotional Adjustment: Exploring the Relationship between Parenting Self-Efficacy, Parenting Behaviour and Psychological Distress in Mothers of Young Children in Ireland.

The purpose of this study was to generate greater understanding of social-emotional difficulties in infants and toddlers in an Irish context. This study compared rates of reported social-emotional difficulties in young children in clinical and non-clinical samples and probed a predictive model of social-emotional adjustment. Data were collected from a cross-sectional sample of 72 mothers of young children aged between 12 and 48 months. Mothers were recruited from waiting lists for child Early Intervention services (clinical sample) and community mother-toddler groups (non-clinical sample). Mothers completed a questionnaire battery which assessed parenting self-efficacy, parenting behaviour, psychological distress and child social-emotional adjustment. The results indicated that 55.5% of young children in the clinical sample and 15% in the non-clinical sample had significant social-emotional problems. Similarly, 55.5% of young children in the clinical sample and 30% in the non-clinical sample had significant delays in the acquisition of social-emotional competencies. Two hierarchical multiple regressions were carried out with social-emotional problems and social-emotional competencies as the respective criterion variables. Clinical or non-clinical group membership, parenting satisfaction and maternal psychological distress were found to be significant predictors of child social-emotional problems in a model which explained 59% of the variance. Task-specific self-efficacy was the only significant predictor of child social-emotional competencies in a model which explained 21% of the variance. The significant rates of social-emotional problems in young children in the current study and the potential negative impact on child health and wellbeing, suggest that the early assessment of social-emotional adjustment should be incorporated into routine clinical assessment for young children. For services to effectively meet the needs of children with social-emotional difficulties and their families, consideration of maternal factors is also necessary.

Parental emotion regulation strategies and parenting quality predict child internalizing symptoms in families experiencing homelessness

Adaptive emotion regulation (ER) in parents has been linked to better parenting quality and social-emotional adjustment in children from middle-income families. In particular, early childhood may represent a sensitive period in which parenting behaviors and functioning have large effects on child social-emotional adjustment. However, little is known about how parent ER and parenting are related to child adjustment in high-risk families. In the context of adversity, parents may struggle to maintain positive parenting behaviors and adaptive self-regulation strategies which could jeopardize their children's adjustment. The current study investigated parents' own cognitive ER strategies and observed parenting quality in relation to young children's internalizing and externalizing problems among families experiencing homelessness. Participants included 108 primary caregivers and their four- to six-year-old children residing in emergency shelters. Using multiple methods, parenting and parent ER were assessed during a shelter stay and teachers subsequently provided ratings of children's internalizing and externalizing difficulties in the classroom. Parenting quality was expected to predict fewer classroom internalizing and externalizing behaviors as well as moderate the association between parent ER strategies and child outcomes. Results suggest that parenting quality buffered the effects of parent maladaptive ER strategies on child internalizing symptoms. The mediating role of parenting quality on that association was also investigated to build on prior empirical work in low-risk samples. Parenting quality did not show expected mediating effects. Findings suggest that parents experiencing homelessness who use fewer maladaptive cognitive ER strategies and more positive parenting behaviors may protect their children against internalizing problems.

The quality of the relationship between typically developing children and their siblings with and without intellectual disability: Insights from children's drawings

The current study examined the relationships of typically developing (TD) children with siblings with and without intellectual disabilities (ID), as expressed in TD children's drawings and questionnaires answered by TD children and their mothers. It also examined group differences in the sibling relationships, as well as the associations between having a sibling with or without ID and sibling relationships, and TD children's social-emotional adjustment. Participants were mothers and their TD children (8–13 years). Some had ID siblings ID (N=28); others had TD siblings (N=31). Sibling relationships were examined via mothers' and target children's completion of questionnaires, and objective visual indicators (location, size, distance) and observed content-based indicators (support, investment, presence of parents) of children's drawings were assessed following the art-based phenomenological analytic approach. Mothers reported on children's social-emotional adjustment. Findings indicated differences in sibling relationships, including higher levels of positive relationships for children with ID siblings. Children's drawings also showed positive relationship aspects for these children. Sibling relationship qualities were significantly associated with children's adjustment. Children's drawings may be a useful data gathering tool to deepen our understanding of unique aspects of sibling relationships.

Parenting as a moderator of the effects of cumulative risk on children's social-emotional adjustment and academic readiness.

This study examined whether parenting moderated the association between cumulative risk and preschool children's adjustment problems, social competence and academic readiness. The sample consisted of 306 families representing the full range of income, with 29% at or near poverty and 28% lower income. Cumulative risk and observed maternal parenting behaviors were assessed when the children were 36-40 months, and teachers rated outcomes at 63-68 months. Greater cumulative risk was more strongly related to higher adjustment problems when scaffolding was low, and unrelated when it was high, suggesting a protective effect. Consistent limit setting was associated with higher academic readiness regardless of risk level, and at low levels of risk it was associated with the highest levels of social competence. A pattern potentially indicating differential effectiveness emerged for warmth, such that at lower levels of risk, higher warmth was associated with better outcomes, but at higher levels of risk, it was associated with higher levels of problems and poorer social competence and academic readiness. Results suggest that buffering effects of particular parenting behaviors, both alone and in combination, may be context-specific.

The combined effects of teacher-child and peer relationships on children's social-emotional adjustment

Teachers and peers represent two important dimensions of the classroom social ecology that have important implications for children's social-emotional adjustment. This study examined the combined effects of teacher-child relationships (TCR) and peer relationships for 6–7year-old children on their social-emotional adjustment at 8–9years. The sample was comprised of children and their teachers participating in the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (n=2857). Teachers reported on TCR, peer relationships, and children's emotional well-being, and children provided self-reported self-concept and school liking during a face-to-face interview. The analytic approach extends previous research by modeling TCR and peer relationships in combination, using cluster analysis to understand the nature of 6–7year-old children's social relationships in the classroom. Five distinct profiles of children were identified: adaptive, teacher-oriented, teacher-child conflict prominent, non-adaptive, and invisible. The adaptive profile had the best outcomes on all three aspects of social-emotional adjustment at age 8–9; the non-adaptive profile had the poorest outcomes, and the invisible group was mid-range. The teacher-oriented and teacher-child conflict prominent groups had mixed outcomes for social-emotional adjustment. Implications for school psychologists and teachers are discussed.

Early childhood profiles of sleep problems and self-regulation predict later school adjustment.

Children's sleep problems and self-regulation problems have been independently associated with poorer adjustment to school, but there has been limited exploration of longitudinal early childhood profiles that include both indicators. This study explores the normative developmental pathway for sleep problems and self-regulation across early childhood and investigates whether departure from the normative pathway is associated with later social-emotional adjustment to school. This study involved 2,880 children participating in the Growing Up in Australia: The Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC) - Infant Cohort from Wave 1 (0-1years) to Wave 4 (6-7years). Mothers reported on children's sleep problems, emotional, and attentional self-regulation at three time points from birth to 5years. Teachers reported on children's social-emotional adjustment to school at 6-7years. Latent profile analysis was used to establish person-centred longitudinal profiles. Three profiles were found. The normative profile (69%) had consistently average or higher emotional and attentional regulation scores and sleep problems that steadily reduced from birth to 5years. The remaining 31% of children were members of two non-normative self-regulation profiles, both characterized by escalating sleep problems across early childhood and below mean self-regulation. Non-normative group membership was associated with higher teacher-reported hyperactivity and emotional problems, and poorer classroom self-regulation and prosocial skills. Early childhood profiles of self-regulation that include sleep problems offer a way to identify children at risk of poor school adjustment. Children with escalating early childhood sleep problems should be considered an important target group for school transition interventions.

The Causal Effects of Father Absence.

The literature on father absence is frequently criticized for its use of cross-sectional data and methods that fail to take account of possible omitted variable bias and reverse causality. We review studies that have responded to this critique by employing a variety of innovative research designs to identify the causal effect of father absence, including studies using lagged dependent variable models, growth curve models, individual fixed effects models, sibling fixed effects models, natural experiments, and propensity score matching models. Our assessment is that studies using more rigorous designs continue to find negative effects of father absence on offspring well-being, although the magnitude of these effects is smaller than what is found using traditional cross-sectional designs. The evidence is strongest and most consistent for outcomes such as high school graduation, children's social-emotional adjustment, and adult mental health.

Double Jeopardy: Poorer Social‐Emotional Outcomes for Children in the NICHD SECCYD Experiencing Home and Child‐Care Environments That Confer Risk

Using data from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Early Child Care Research Network (NICHD SECCYD), the authors examined whether interactions between home and child-care quality affect children's social-emotional adjustment at 24, 36, and 54 months (N = 771). Triadic splits on quality of home and child care were used to examine children in specific ecological niches, with a focus on those who experience the double jeopardy of poor quality home and child-care environments. Children in this niche exhibited the highest levels of mother-reported problem behavior and the lowest levels of prosocial behavior. However, there was evidence that children from lower quality home environments were able to benefit from the compensatory influence of high-quality child care. These results suggest policies aimed at the cross-context influences of protective and risky settings.

Preschool children's views on emotion regulation: Functional associations and implications for social-emotional adjustment

Previous studies show that preschool children view negative emotions as susceptible to intentional control. However, the extent of this understanding and links with child social-emotional adjustment are poorly understood. To examine this, 62 3- and 4-year-olds were presented with puppet scenarios in which characters experienced anger, sadness, and fear. Forty-seven adults were presented with a parallel questionnaire. Participants rated the degree to which six emotion-regulation strategies were effective in decreasing negative emotions. Results showed that even the youngest preschoolers viewed cognitive and behavioral distraction and repairing the situation as relatively effective; compared to adults, however, preschoolers favored relatively “ineffective” strategies such as venting and rumination. Children also showed a functional view of emotion regulation; that effective strategies depend on the emotion being regulated. All participants favored repairing a negative situation to reduce anger and behavioral distraction to reduce sadness and fear. Finally, the more children indicated that venting would reduce negative emotions, the lower their maternal report of social skills. Findings are discussed in terms of functional emotion theory and implications of emotion-regulation understanding for child adjustment.

Family-level Coparenting Processes and Child Gender as Moderators of Family Stress and Toddler Adjustment.

The goal of this multi-method study was to examine how child gender and coparenting processes influence associations between family stress and toddlers' social adjustment. The participants, 104 dual-earner couples and their 2-year-old children, were videotaped in their home during a freeplay activity. Mothers and fathers completed questionnaires about stress in their roles as partners, workers, and parents and their child's social-emotional adjustment. Consistent with previous research, higher levels of family stress were associated with poorer adjustment for children. Family harmony, represented by warmth and cooperation, was significantly associated with fewer internalizing problems for children even when family stress was considered. Conversely, coparental banter or 'playful humour' between parents moderated the nature of the association between family stress and children's adjustment. Banter between parents was especially protective for girls suggesting that, even in families with toddler-aged children, gender plays an important role in family-level coparenting processes. Future research needs to consider more fully the impact that child characteristics, such as gender, have on the interplay between the family context and children's development.

Maternal Protectiveness and Child Adjustment: A Multidimensional Study

SYNOPSIS Objective . The purposes of this study were to identify multiple dimensions of maternal protectiveness and to examine their relations with demographic factors, child characteristics, and children's psychological adjustment. Design . One hundred and seven mothers of 8- to 13-year-old children completed questionnaires on child temperament and maternal protectiveness. Teachers completed questionnaires on children's social-emotional adjustment. Results . Three domains of protectiveness were identified: (1) protectiveness around the use of household objects and activities outside of the home, (2) protectiveness involving withholding potentially upsetting information from the child, and (3) protectiveness involving the restriction of media use. In general, maternal social class, education, and employment were negatively associated with maternal protectiveness, although maternal education was positively associated with media protectiveness. Mothers of highly social children reported the lowest levels of protectiveness. Protectiveness in the media and sexual information domains was positively associated, and protectiveness regarding family secrets and world events was negatively associated, with teacher ratings of child adjustment. Conclusion . Maternal protectiveness is a multidimensional construct that shows differential relations with child adjustment.

Distorted Self-Perceptions: Divergent Self-Reports as Statistical Outliers in the Multimethod Assessment of Children's Social-Emotional Adjustment

The influence of statistical outliers among older children's self-reports was investigated in the context of a multitrait-multimethod validation of the Weinberger Adjustment Inventory (Weinberger, 1991). Self, teacher, and peer ratings in 6th-grade classrooms (N = 155) provided evidence of the convergent and discriminant validity of distress (i.e., anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, and low well-being) and self-restraint (i.e., impulse control, suppression of aggression, consideration of others, and responsibility) as superordinate dimensions of adjustment. However, a few children were statistical outliers whose self-reports starkly contradicted others' perceptions. These nonrepresentative cases notably affected the validity coefficients for the entire sample and seemed to identify children with potentially clinically significant distortions in their self-perceptions.

Maternal coping styles and adjustment in children

A comprehensive examination of children's social-emotional adjustment as related to maternal coping styles was performed. Subjects were 186 black mothers from lower-income families, and their children who were enrolled in the Detroit Public Schools Area F, Title I Preschool Program. Maternal nurturant and restrictive child rearing practices, life stress, locus of control and marital status were evaluated with respect to each of the child variables of school adjustment, self-concept and social problem solving skills. Maternal life stress was significantly related to children's lower self-concept, higher aggression, use of finagling and nondirective problem-solving strategies. Significant negative relationships were found between maternal nurturance and child moodiness and learning problems in school, further validating the Modified Child Rearing Practices Report. These findings provide support for expanding the current child developmental focus of preventive parenting programs to include maternal coping strategies such as improved communication and assertiveness training.