Children's Socioemotional Functioning Research Articles

Assessment and implications of social withdrawal in early childhood: A first look at social avoidance

AbstractThe goals of the present research were to: (a) develop and provide preliminary validation of a parent‐rated measure of social avoidance in early childhood; and (b) to evaluate a conceptual model of the direct and indirect links among young children's social withdrawal (shyness, unsociability, social avoidance), peer problems, and indices of internalizing problems (social anxiety, depression). Participants were N = 564 children (272 boys, 292 girls; Mage = 67.29 mos, SD = 11.70) attending kindergarten and Grade 1 classes in public schools in southeastern Ontario, Canada. A new subscale assessing social avoidance was added to an existing parent‐rated measure of children's social withdrawal. Indices of children's socioemotional functioning were provided by parents and teachers. Among the results, the revised measure of multiple forms of social withdrawal demonstrated good psychometric properties, moderate stability 16 months later, and evidence of validity. Shyness, unsociability, and social avoidance also displayed differential patterns of associations with indices of children's socioemotional functioning. Results are discussed in terms of the assessment and implications of different forms of social withdrawal in early childhood.

Discrimination and Acculturation Stress: A Longitudinal Study of Children's Well-Being from Prenatal Development to 5 Years of Age.

To examine whether cumulative family discrimination and acculturation stress (prenatally to 24 months postpartum) among Mexican-origin adolescent mothers and their mother-figures predicted children's socio-emotional functioning and academic achievement at 5 years of age, and the role of maternal depressive symptoms and mother-child interactions in the association. Mexican-origin families (N = 204) with an adolescent mother, a child, and a mother-figure participated in a 6-wave longitudinal study (2007-2013). Families were recruited and interviewed during the adolescent mother's pregnancy; adolescent mothers, mother-figures, and children were then assessed annually for the next 5 years using a combination of interview-based survey and observational methods. Maternal reports of children's socio-emotional behaviors (measured using the Child Behavior Checklist) and children's academic achievement (assessed with the Woodcock Johnson III Tests of Achievement/Bateria III Woodcock-Muñoz) were used. Structural equation modeling revealed that greater cumulative family discrimination and acculturation stress from pregnancy to 24 months postpartum predicted higher adolescent mothers' depressive symptoms, greater mother-child intrusive interactions, and less mother sensitivity at 36 months postpartum. Maternal depressive symptoms were positively related to children's CBCL symptoms at 60 months postpartum. Greater cumulative discrimination and acculturation stressors directly predicted children's lower Woodcock Johnson/Bateria test scores after accounting for socio-economic status. Mexican-origin adolescent mothers' and mother figures' cumulative discrimination and acculturation stress from pregnancy through children's second birthday predicted children's socio-emotional and academic achievement at age 5. Overall, the findings underscore the cumulative impact of these stressors on well-being in a population with substantial public health significance.

The role of social cognition and prosocial behaviour in relation to the socio-emotional functioning of primary aged children with specific language impairment

Background and aimsChildren with language impairments often experience difficulties with their socio-emotional functioning and poorly developed prosocial behaviour. However, the nature of the association between language impairment and difficulties with socio-emotional functioning remains unclear. The social cognition skills of a group of primary-aged children (6–11 years old) with Specific Language Impairment (SLI) were examined in relation to their teachers’ ratings of socio-emotional functioning. SampleForty-two children with SLI were individually matched with 42 children for chronological age and non-verbal cognitive ability, and 42 children for receptive language ability. The children all attended mainstream primary schools or one Language Unit. MethodsFour aspects of social cognition were directly assessed: emotion identification, emotion labelling, inferring the causes of emotions, and knowledge of conflict resolution strategies. The children's socio-emotional functioning was assessed using the Strengths and Difficulties questionnaire (SDQ), a standardised measure, completed by their teachers. Associations between children's performance on tasks of social cognition and children's socio-emotional functioning were explored. ResultsSignificant group differences were found for all social cognition tasks. The SLI group was rated to experience significantly more problems with socio-emotional functioning by their teachers than both control groups, indicating problems with all aspects of socio-emotional functioning. Social cognition and prosocial behaviour, but not language ability, predicted teacher-rated behavioural, emotional and social difficulties for the SLI group. ConclusionThe results challenge current understanding of socio-emotional functioning in children with SLI by pointing to the crucial role of social cognition and prosocial behaviour. Factors other than expressive and receptive language play a role in the socio-emotional functioning of children with SLI.

Maternal meta-emotion and child socioemotional functioning in immigrant Indian and White American families.

Maternal meta-emotion and child socioemotional functioning in immigrant Indian and White American families.

Asian Indian Immigrant and White American Maternal Emotion Socialization and Child Socio-Emotional Functioning

Previous research provides an inadequate account of parental emotion socialization and its relation to child functioning among ethnic minority groups in the United States. This study compared reports of Asian Indian immigrant and White American mothers’ emotion socialization and examined relations between mothers’ emotion socialization and child outcomes in these two groups. Indian immigrant (n = 34) and White American (n = 38) mothers completed measures of child behavior problems and social competence, as well as self-report measures of two types of emotion socialization, responses to children’s negative emotions and emotion expressivity. Children completed a self-report measure of social competence. Results revealed that Indian immigrant mothers were more likely than White American mothers to report responding nonsupportively to their children’s negative emotions. However, reports of mothers’ nonsupportive responses were not related to child outcomes in the Indian immigrant group. In the White American group, reports of mothers’ nonsupportive responses were positively related to child behavior problems. Mothers’ self-reported negative emotion expressivity was positively related to child behavior problems and negatively related to mother-rated child social competence for Indian immigrants, while no significant relation was found between mothers’ negative emotion expressivity and child outcomes for White Americans. Moderation analyses were performed with these variables but were nonsignificant. Results are discussed in the context of cultural influences on emotion socialization and subsequent impact on child functioning.

SOCIAL WITHDRAWAL BEHAVIOR IN INSTITUTIONALIZED TODDLERS: INDIVIDUAL, EARLY FAMILY AND INSTITUTIONAL DETERMINANTS

ABSTRACTEighty‐five Portuguese children, aged 12 to 30 months, placed in residential institutions were assessed to investigate the influence of variations in the institutionalization experience of social withdrawal behavior, after taking into account potentially confounding individual characteristics and pre‐admission experiences. In light of the limited attention in institutionalization research on social withdrawal, the determinants of the identified predictors of withdrawal symptoms also were examined. Current quality of care experienced in the institution, operationalized in terms of the absence (vs. presence) of a preferred attachment relationship, predicted social withdrawal, such that absence of such a relationship forecasted greater withdrawal. Moreover, existence of a preferred attachment relationship was itself predicted by better child socioemotional functioning, greater caregiver sensitive‐responsiveness, and better quality of individualized care provided by the staff.

Mothers’ Socialization Goals, Mothers’ Emotion Socialization Behaviors, Child Emotion Regulation, and Child Socioemotional Functioning in Urban India

Studies examining the link between parental socialization and child functioning in varying cultural contexts are scarce. Focusing on early adolescents in suburban middle-class families in India, the present study examined interrelations among reports of mothers’ socialization goals, socialization behaviors in response to child emotion, child emotion regulation, and child socioemotional functioning. One hundred and ten mothers and one of their children attending seventh grade at middle schools in Gujarat, India participated. Results indicated that suburban Indian mothers were more likely to endorse relational than autonomous socialization goals, and relational socialization goals were related to mothers’ reported explanation-oriented socialization behaviors in response to their children’s anger or sadness. Children’s self-reported regulation of anger and sadness mediated the negative relation between reports of mothers’ explanation-oriented supportive behaviors and child behavior problems. Moreover, children’s self-reported dysregulation partially mediated the positive association between reports of mothers’ nonsupportive behaviors and child behavior problems.

Do Time in Child Care and Peer Group Exposure Predict Poor Socioemotional Adjustment in Norway?

Extensive exposure to nonparental child care during the first 4.5years of life has been demonstrated in some American studies to negatively affect children's socioemotional functioning. Data from 935 preschool children who averaged 54.9(SD=3.0) months of age, from Trondheim, Norway were used to examine whether such negative effects, would emerge in Norway, a country with a different child-care system. The children's externalizing problems and social competence were unrelated to their child-care experience. More time spent in child care during the first 4.5years of life and experiencing peer groups of <16 or >18 children predicted greater caregiver-child conflict. The effect sizes were small. The results are discussed in terms of cross-national child-care differences.

Shy but Getting By? An Examination of the Complex Links Among Shyness, Coping, and Socioemotional Functioning in Childhood

AbstractThe purpose of the current study was to test a conceptual model of the mediated and moderated associations among shyness, coping strategies, and socioemotional functioning in middle childhood. Participants were 358 children (177 boys) aged 9–13 years (M = 10.16 years, SD =.95). Children completed self‐report assessments of shyness, coping style in response to a social stressor, internalizing problems, and peer difficulties. Among the results, shyness was positively associated with internalizing symptoms and negatively related to perceptions of peer difficulties. However, both of these associations were partially mediated by internalizing coping styles. Moreover, problem‐solving coping moderated these mediated pathways: among children who reported higher levels of problem‐solving coping, the associations between internalizing coping and outcomes were attenuated. Several gender differences also emerged, suggesting that problem‐solving coping may be particularly useful for shy boys. Results are discussed in terms of the complex but potentially critical role of coping in shy children's socioemotional functioning.

Integrated strategies needed to prevent iron deficiency and to promote early child development

Iron deficiency (ID) and iron deficiency anemia (IDA) are global public health problems that differentially impact pregnant women and infants in low and middle income countries. IDA during the first 1000 days of life (prenatally through 24 months) has been associated with long term deficits in children's socio-emotional, motor, cognitive, and physiological functioning. Mechanisms linking iron deficiency to children's development may include alterations to dopamine metabolism, myelination, and hippocampal structure and function, as well as maternal depression and unresponsive caregiving, potentially associated with maternal ID. Iron supplementation trials have had mixed success in promoting children's development. Evidence suggests that the most effective interventions to prevent iron deficiency and to promote early child development begin early in life and integrate strategies to ensure adequate iron and nutritional status, along with strategies to promote responsive mother–child interactions and early learning opportunities.

Someone to Lean on: Assessment and Implications of Social Surrogate Use in Childhood

AbstractA social surrogate is a person who helps a shy individual deal with the stresses of a social situation. Previous research has only investigated social surrogate use in adults. The purpose of the current study was to develop and evaluate a new self‐report measure of social surrogacy in middle childhood and to explore the implications of this phenomenon for children's socioemotional functioning. Participants were N = 328 children in grades 3–5 (Meanage= 9.45, Standard deviation = .93). Children completed the newly developed child social surrogate questionnaire (CSSQ) as well as self‐report assessments of shyness, loneliness, social anxiety, peer victimization, and self‐perceptions. Results indicated good psychometric properties and evidence of construct validity for the CSSQ. Social surrogacy was related to elevated shyness, social anxiety, and victimization. Contrary to expectations, there was also some evidence to suggest that social surrogacy may have particularly negative implications for shy children.

Partnering With Students to Explore the Health Needs of an Ethnically Diverse, Low-Resource School

School-based health programs have a unique and powerful potential to meet the health needs of children because students spend more time in schools than in any other environment away from home. We conducted a participatory needs assessment called a Group Level Assessment (GLA) in collaboration with an economically disadvantaged and ethnically diverse school to facilitate the students' identification of and subsequent action toward important health needs. A total of 68 students in Kindergarten through eighth grade participated in the GLA. Four major themes emerged: the desire for more sports and after-school activities, better school lunches, enjoyment of friends and families, and overall happiness. Other health issues identified by the students included limited health/medical care, stress resulting from schoolwork and grades, positive self-image, and the desire for more art opportunities. The salient themes identified by students are consistent with many factors identified in the academic literature as important in child socioemotional functioning.

Developmental trajectories of respiratory sinus arrhythmia and preejection period in middle childhood

Autonomic nervous system (ANS) activity has been linked repeatedly to children's socioemotional and behavioral adaptive functioning and development, yet the literature on how various indexes of ANS activity develop in childhood is sparse. We utilized latent growth modeling to investigate the development of respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), an established index of parasympathetic nervous system (PNS), and preejection period (PEP), a marker of sympathetic nervous system (SNS) influence on the heart, in children aged 8-10 years. At age 8, 251 children (128 girls, 123 boys; 162 European American, 89 African American) participated. Longitudinal data were collected during two additional waves when children were 9 and 10 years of age, with a 1-year lag between each wave. Children's RSA and PEP exhibited significant stability over time. Marginally significant variability was found among children in how RSA changed over time (slope), but there was no significant interindividual variability in PEP changes over development. A conditional growth curve model (i.e., one with predictor variables) showed that initial levels of RSA and PEP and the slope of RSA over time were predicted by several demographic factors including the child's sex and race; RSA of European American children showed significant increases over time while African American children had higher initial RSA but no significant change over time. Findings extend basic knowledge in developmental biopsychology and have implications for research focusing on ANS measures as important predictors, moderators, and mediators of childhood adaptation.

Ethnic Differences in the Effects of Parental Depression on Preschool Children's Socioemotional Functioning

AbstractThe present study describes the depressive symptomatology of 393 parents of prekindergarten children and assesses ethnic differences in the depression scores of these parents and their differential consequences for children's social competence. Data are drawn from the National Center for Early Development and Learning (NCEDL) classroom study, a national, longitudinal study examining the quality and outcomes of prekindergarten programs operated in schools or under the direction of state and local educational agencies, and the supplemental NCEDL familial and social environments study. Analyses indicated that Latino parents were more likely than African‐American and White parents to be depressed. However, as reported by both parents and teachers, behavioral outcomes for African‐American children of parents with elevated depressive symptomatology were worse than children of their Latino and White counterparts. Interactions between ethnicity and depressive symptomatology emerged in the parent‐child relationship, with African‐American parents with elevated depressive symptoms reporting significantly greater levels of conflict in the parent–child relationship than their non‐depressed counterparts. African‐American parents with elevated depression scores were also less likely to be in marital relationships than their non‐depressed counterparts. Among African‐American families, parent–child conflict served as a mediator of the effects of parental depression on child outcomes. Implications for intervention are discussed.

Maternal discourse, attachment-related risk, and current risk factors: Associations with maternal parenting behavior during foster care visits

This study examined relations among mothers' discourse about experiences in their families of origin and with child protective services (CPS), attachment-related and current risk factors, and the quality of mothers' parenting behavior with their young children during supervised visits. Twenty-nine 2- to 6-year-old children in foster care and their biological mothers participated. Clinical interviews with mothers assessed the quality of maternal discourse and the presence of risk factors. Videotaped observations of visits between mothers and their children assessed parenting behaviors. Results revealed that mothers who discussed their experiences in a coherent and flexible manner and expressed affection for their children in their discourse were more supportive of their children's socioemotional functioning during visits. Moreover, in addition to current risk factors such as substance abuse and mental illness, mothers' experience of attachment-related risk factors in childhood or adolescence was particularly important for understanding the quality of their discourse and parenting behavior.

Are certain preschoolers at risk in the era of welfare reform? The moderating role of children's temperament

The current investigation examined whether two dimensions of children's temperament—effortful control and negative emotionality—moderated links between mothers' welfare and work transitions and preschoolers' developmental trajectories ( N = 445). Data were drawn from a sample of low-income, predominantly ethnic minority children and their mothers, when children were ages 2–4, and again 16 months later. Among children whose mothers' left welfare or entered work, high effortful control and low negative emotionality were not protective factors in children's socioemotional or cognitive functioning. However, when mothers experienced job loss or entered the welfare system, preschoolers with high effortful control displayed better developmental outcomes over time than children with low effortful control.

Untangling the Links of Parental Responsiveness to Distress and Warmth to Child Outcomes

This study demonstrated separate linkages between 2 features of positive parenting--responsiveness to distress and warmth--and different aspects of children's socio-emotional functioning, in a sample of 106 children (6-8 years old). As expected, mothers' and fathers' responsiveness to distress, but not warmth, predicted better negative affect regulation. Maternal responsiveness to distress also predicted children's empathy and prosocial responding. Maternal warmth, but not responsiveness to distress, was linked to better regulation of positive affect and (in boys only) to greater peer acceptance. Additionally, negative affect regulation mediated between maternal responsiveness to distress and children's empathic responding. Positive affect regulation mediated between maternal warmth and boys' peer acceptance. The findings support a differentiated approach to positive parenting.

The association between preschool children's socio-emotional functioning and their mathematical skills

One hundred eight preschool children and their teachers participated in a cross-sectional study of the socio-emotional correlates of mathematics skills. Children's strengths and difficulties were considered as possible correlates of skills. Initiative, self-control, and attachment were all related to better math skills. Overall behavior problems, internalizing symptoms, withdrawal, social problems, and attention problems were related to poorer skills. There were no sex differences in these relationships. Participation in an early math intervention was associated with fewer behavior problems, compared to children who did not receive the intervention. Additionally, participation in the intervention moderated the relationships between socio-emotional strengths and math skills, such that initiative, self-control, and attachment were less strongly correlated with math skills in children who received the intervention.

Community Violence, Family Conflict, and Preschoolers' Socioemotional Functioning.

This study examined the relations among family conflict, community violence, and young children's socioemotional functioning and explored how children's social cognition and mothers' psychological functioning may mediate the outcomes associated with this exposure. Mothers of 431 Head Start preschoolers completed questionnaires about their family demography, exposure to community violence, family conflict, and children's distress symptoms. Children were administered a social cognition assessment, and teachers rated their behavior. Results showed that mothers' reports of children's co-witnessing of community violence were positively associated with police department crime rates, children's distress symptoms, and teachers' ratings of aggression. A path analysis revealed that children's social awareness and mothers' depressive symptoms partially mediated the effects of community violence and family conflict on outcomes for children.

The longitudinal relations of regulation and emotionality to quality of Indonesian children's socioemotional functioning.

Data regarding individual differences in children's regulation, emotionality, quality of socioemotional functioning, and shyness were obtained from teachers and peers for 112 Indonesian 6th graders. Similar data (plus parents' reports) also were collected when these children were in 3rd grade. For boys, regulation and low negative emotionality generally predicted positive socioemotional functioning (e.g., social skills, adjustment, prosocial tendencies and peer liking, sympathy) within and across time and across reporters, even at the follow-up when initial levels of regulation or negative emotionality were controlled. For girls, relations were obtained primarily for concurrent teacher reports, probably because girls tended to be fairly well regulated and socially competent and variability in their scores was relatively low. Shyness for both sexes tended to be associated with concurrent measures of low regulation, high negative emotionality, and low quality of social competence.