Dyadic Emotional Availability Research Articles

Mother-infant emotional availability through the COVID-19 pandemic: Examining continuity, stability, and bidirectional associations.

The COVID-19 pandemic may impact the development of infants' social communication patterns with their caregivers. The current study examined continuity, stability, and bidirectional associations in maternal and infant dyadic Emotional Availability (EA) before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants were 110 Israeli mother-infant dyads (51% girls) that were assessed prior to (Mage=3.5months) and during (Mage=12.4months) the pandemic. At both time points, mother-infant interactions were observed during play (nonstressful context) and tasks designed to elicit infant frustration (stressful context). Maternal and child EA were coded offline. Maternal EA demonstrated no significant mean-level changes from before to during the COVID-19 pandemic, whereas infant responsiveness and involvement increased over time. Stability and bidirectional associations in EA differed by context and were evident only in the stressful context. Mothers' perceived levels of social support further moderated these associations. Specifically, infants' pre-pandemic responsiveness and involvement predicted maternal EA during the pandemic only when mothers reported low levels of social support. Our findings suggest that maternal and child EA were not adversely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, patterns of EA demonstrated moderate-to-no stability over time, suggesting considerable individual differences in trajectories of EA.

Emotional Availability and Play in Mother-Child Dyads with ASD: Changes during a Parental Based Intervention.

(1) Background: Parental involvement during intervention with children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) has been demonstrated to be fundamental for children’s developmental outcomes. However, most research focused on child gains especially considering cognitive functioning and symptoms severity, whereas parental and dyadic changes during intervention need further investigation. (2) Methods: 29 mothers in interaction with their preschool children with ASD were analyzed through two standardized behavioral and observational measures to evaluate the dyadic Emotional Availability (EA) and play skills before (T1) and after (T2) a parental-based intervention. (3) Results: Results revealed mothers increased affective quality and major awareness in understanding the signals produced by the child, that in turn was more responsive, involving also using more complex play strategies. Interestingly, the role of specific factors able to predict parental characteristics was investigated, pointing out the important contribution of mothers’ perceptions of having a difficult child and child language communicative abilities. (4) Conclusions: the study enhances knowledge about child and caregiver variables that impact on dyadic outcomes, identifying important target areas to be addressed during intervention. Further, our results suggest that a parental-based intervention supports and facilitates improvements in both children’s and caregivers’ affective quality and cognitive abilities.

The effects of exposure to political and domestic violence on preschool children and their mothers.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of exposure to political violence on preschool children and their mothers. We explored whether these dyads are different from dyads with no known history of exposure to violence and from mother-child dyads with known exposure to domestic violence. Specifically, we explored differences in mothers' psychological status (depression and anxiety), dyadic emotional availability (EA), children's social information processing, and children's social behaviour, in a sample of 216 dyads divided into three groups (exposure to political violence, no exposure to violence, and exposure to domestic violence). We found evidence to support our hypotheses that children exposed to domestic violence exhibit the highest levels of social maladjustment with smaller but still significant differences between children exposed to political violence and children in the comparison group. As expected, the lowest EA scores were found in the exposure to domestic violence group, followed by dyads in the exposure to political violence group. Dyads belonging to the comparison group (no exposure) exhibited the highest levels of EA. These findings contribute to our understanding of the meaning of exposure to political violence, as well as sharpen the difference between exposure to political and domestic violence.

Late Adoptions: Attachment Security and Emotional Availability in Mother–Child and Father–Child Dyads

A growing body of research suggests that a history of neglect, abuse and institutionalization can negatively affect late-adopted children’s attachment representations, and that adoptive parents can play a key role in enabling adopted children to earn secure attachments. Still, only a few studies have explored the quality of caregiver–child interaction in adoptive families. The present study aimed at verifying both the concordance of attachment in adoptive dyads (mother–children and father–children) and the relationship between attachment representations and parent–child interaction. The research involved 20 adoptive families in which the child’s arrival had occurred between 12 to 36 months before the assessment, and where children were aged between 4.5 and 8.5 years. Attachment was assessed through the Adult Attachment Interview for parents and through the Manchester Child Attachment Story Task for children. The emotional quality of parent–child interaction was assessed trough the Emotional Availability Scales. Our results pointed out the presence of a relation between attachment representations of late-adopted children and their adoptive mothers (75%, K = 0.50, p = .025). In addition, we found that both insecure children and mothers showed lower levels of EA than secure ones. Some explanations are presented about why, in the early post-adoption period, child attachment patterns and dyadic emotional availability seem to be arranged on different frameworks for the two parental figures.

Emotional Availability Modulates Electrophysiological Correlates of Executive Functions in Preschool Children.

Executive functions (EFs) – a set of cognitive control abilities – mediate resilience to stress and are associated with academic achievement and health throughout life. They are crucially linked to prefrontal cortex function as well as to other cortical and subcortical brain functions, which are maturing throughout childhood at different rates. Recent behavioral research suggested that children’s EFs were related to parenting quality and child attachment security, but the neural correlates of these associations are unknown. With this study we tested in 4- to 6-year-old healthy children (N = 27) how emotional availability (EA) of the mother-child-interaction was associated with behavioral and electrophysiological correlates of response inhibition (a core EF) in a Go/Nogo task, using event-related potential recordings (ERPs), and with behavioral performance in a Delay of Gratification (DoG) and a Head-Toes-Knees-Shoulders task (HTKS). Our data showed that the Go/Nogo task modulated children’s ERP components resembling adult electrophysiological indices of response inhibition - the N2 and P3/LPC ERPs-, but the children’s N2 and P3/LPC ERPs showed longer latencies. Higher maternal autonomy-fostering behavior and greater child responsiveness were significantly associated with smaller children’s N2 Go/Nogo effects at fronto-central and parietal sites and with greater Go/Nogo effects in the N2 time window at occipital sites, over and above children’s age and intelligence. Additionally, greater maternal sensitivity and a higher dyadic EA quality of the mother-child-interaction went along with greater occipital Go/Nogo effects in the N2 time window, but this effect clearly diminished when we controlled for children’s age and intelligence. Higher maternal autonomy-support was also positively associated with better HTKS performance, and higher dyadic EA quality went along with higher HTKS and DoG scores. However, no significant associations were found between EA variables and the behavioral response inhibition measures of the Go/Nogo task. Our results suggest that parenting qualities modulate the functionality of neural circuits involved in response inhibition, an important component of EFs. This finding, thus, indicates that parent–child interactions shape the neurocognitive development underlying EFs.

Practicing attachment in the real world: improving maternal insightfulness and dyadic emotional availability at an outpatient community mental health clinic

ABSTRACTThe purpose of the study was to examine the efficacy of an attachment-based intervention program practiced at an outpatient clinic. Changes in parental insightfulness and dyadic emotional availability were assessed in 32 mother–child dyads from pre- to post-intervention. At both data collection points, mothers were interviewed with the Insightfulness Assessment and the mother–child dyad was observed in play sessions coded with the Emotional Availability Scales. Findings revealed a strong association between maternal insightfulness and dyadic emotional availability, both before and after treatment. In terms of intervention efficacy, positive gains were observed in both insightfulness and dyadic emotional availability from pre- to post-intervention. Mothers who changed their classifications from non-insightful to insightful following the intervention showed the greatest gains in emotional availability. These findings have important implications for the type of interventions and service delivery model that could work in real world clinical settings.

Mother–Child Interaction as a Cradle of Theory of Mind: The Role of Maternal Emotional Availability

AbstractThe present longitudinal study investigated the relative importance of emotional availability (EA) in 56 mother–child dyads when the child was 7 months and four‐year old as predictors of child's Theory of Mind at 4 years while controlling for early maternal mind‐mindedness (MM). Dyadic EA at 7 months predicted the child's Theory of Mind, even when controlling for child temperamental and cognitive characteristics as well as dyadic EA at 4 years and early maternal MM. Results indicate the specific importance of high emotional connectedness between mothers and infants for preschoolers' Theory of Mind development.

Parental Personality, Stress Generation, and Infant Temperament in Emergent Parent-Child Relationships: Evidence for a Moderated Mediation Model

There is increasing research evidence supporting the assumption that transactional associations between parent and child characteristics need to be taken into account in order to more fully understand the dynamics within emergent parent-child relationships. This study focuses on transactional associations among parental self-criticism and dependency, parenting stress, child temperament, and emotional availability. Data from a two-wave, 1-year longitudinal study in a community sample of 79 first-time parents and their children, followed-up from infancy to toddlerhood, were analyzed within a multilevel moderated mediation framework. Results showed that parental self-criticism and dependency assessed in infancy predicted emotional availability in toddlerhood. Stress generation processes associated with self-criticism and dependency played a central role in these associations. In addition, findings suggested that child extraversion and orienting/regulation capacities may buffer against the negative impact of parental self-critical vulnerability on dyadic emotional availability, whereas child negative affectivity seems to amplify stress generation processes associated with parental dependency. These findings are discussed in light of the burgeoning literature on personality, child temperament, and parent-child relationships, and suggestions for further research and clinical interventions focusing on parent-child relationships are summarized.

Mother-Child Emotional Availability Mediating the Effects of Maternal Psychological Well-being and Child's Cognitive Competence on Child Behavior Problems

Recent intervention studies document that mother-child dyads with higher levels of Emotional Availability (EA) report fewer child behavior problems than dyads with lower EA. This study examines possible mechanisms that lead to this result by looking at the parent-child micro-system as a whole, with multi-dimensional relationships that include individual differences in the child's cognitive level, parental stress and parent-child interaction. A total 67 children (<TEX>$1{\frac{1}{2}}$</TEX> to <TEX>$5\;{\frac{1}{2}}$</TEX> years of age) and their mothers were videotaped during 30-min play interactions. Interactions were coded using the Emotional Availability (EA) Scales (Biringen, Robinson, & Emde, 1998). Mothers completed Parenting Stress Index-Short Form, Child Behavior Checklist/<TEX>$1\;{\frac{1}{2}}$</TEX> - 5, and the Ages Stages Questionnaire. The findings showed that mothers with higher levels of parenting stress were more likely to be intrusive, hostile, insensitive, and had a tendency to do less structuring in play. The children of stressed and depressed mothers demonstrated less involvement and responsiveness towards their mothers. Children who have higher dyadic EA scores experienced fewer externalizing and internalizing problems. SEM analyses results showed a mediation effect of EA on the association between maternal psychological well-being and child behavior problems. Fewer deficits in child communication skills and problem solving skills that were related with lower parenting stress and depression were associated with higher maternal non-intrusiveness. Higher non-intrusiveness was related to less internalizing and externalizing problems that indicated the indirect effect of child cognitive competence. Possible interpretations and implications of the study findings are discussed.

Play and emotional availability in young children with Down syndrome.

This study investigates mother-child interaction and its associations with play in children with Down syndrome (DS). There is consensus that mother-child interaction during play represents an important determinant of typical children's play development. Concerning children with DS, few studies have investigated mother-child interaction in terms of the overall emotional quality of dyadic interaction and its effect on child play. A sample of 28 children with DS (M age = 3 years) took part in this study. In particular, we studied whether the presence of the mother in an interactional context affects the exploratory and symbolic play of children with DS and the interrelation between children's level of play and dyadic emotional availability. Children showed significantly more exploratory play during collaborative play with mothers than during solitary play. However, the maternal effect on child symbolic play was higher in children of highly sensitive mothers relative to children whose mothers showed lower sensitivity, the former displaying more symbolic play than the latter in collaborative play. Results offer some evidence that dyadic emotional availability and child play level are associated in children with DS, consistent with the hypothesis that dyadic interactions based on a healthy level of emotional involvement may lead to enhanced cognitive functioning.

Emotional Availability in Mother-Child Dyads: Short-Term Stability and Continuity From Variable-Centered and Person-Centered Perspectives

Emotional availability (EA) is a prominent index of socioemotional adaptation in the parent-child dyad. Can basic psychometric properties of EA be looked at from both variable (scale) and person (cluster) points of view in individuals and in dyads? Is EA stable and continuous over a short period of time? This methodological study shows significant short-term stability and continuity in EA as measured with individual and dyadic Emotional Availability Scales and in clusters of individuals and dyads on EA scores in 52 mothers and their 5-month-olds observed twice at home. This work documents psychometric properties of the emotional availability construct from both variable and person orientations.

Emotional availability in the mother–infant dyad as related to the quality of infant–mother attachment relationship

Dyadic emotional availability and infant-mother attachment relationship were examined in 687 Israeli dyads. Concurrent assessments used the Strange Situation procedure (Ainsworth, Blehar, Waters, & Wall, 1978) for evaluating infants' attachment relationship, and the Emotional Availability Scales (Biringen, Robinson, & Emde, 1993) for evaluating the quality of mother-child interaction. It was found that higher scores on the Emotional Availability Scales were associated with infant attachment security. In addition, it was found that the Emotional Availability Scales discriminated between insecure- ambivalent and secure attachment classification, but were not informative about unique characteristics of emotional availability in dyads with avoidant and disorganized infants. Our findings contribute to the cross- cultural validation of Emotional Availability Scales against infants' attachment security.

Mother-infant reengagement following the still-face: The role of maternal emotional availability an infant affect regulation

This study investigated how the early mother-infant relationship supports an infant's ability to regulate emotion following the disruption of normal interaction. The responses of 29 4-month-old infants and their economically disadvantaged, predominantly minority mothers were examined during the “still-face” paradigm. Mothers were asked to play with their infants for 5 min, maintain a still, affectless expression for 2 min, and resume play for 3 min. Specifically, the relation between dyadic emotional availability in play and the infant's behavior in the period following the still-face, when mothers reengaged with their infants, was explored. Dyadic interaction during play was coded with a scale measuring maternal sensitivity, intrusiveness, and hostility, as well as child responsiveness. The infant's affect and gaze were coded in real time across all three episodes. A new, global coding scheme, which incorporated aspects of reunion behavior codes from Ainsworth's Strange Situation paradigm, was used to measure infant behavior in the reengagement period. The major finding was that at age 4 months, infants of mothers who were more sensitive in play reengaged following the still-face using a more well-regulated, interpresonally oriented style, whereas infants of mothers who were less sensitive exhibited high amounts of avoidant and/or resistant behaviors in reengagement. In addition, exploratory longitudinal data revealed some predictive validity of the 4-month reengagement codes to 12-month Ainsworth attachment scales.

Mother-infant face-to-face interactions in the presence or absence of a toy

This study investigated how the early mother-infant relationship supports an infant's ability to regulate emotion following the disruption of normal interaction. The responses of 29 4-month-old infants and their economically disadvantaged, predominantly minority mothers were examined during the “still-face” paradigm. Mothers were asked to play with their infants for 5 min, maintain a still, affectless expression for 2 min, and resume play for 3 min. Specifically, the relation between dyadic emotional availability in play and the infant's behavior in the period following the still-face, when mothers reengaged with their infants, was explored. Dyadic interaction during play was coded with a scale measuring maternal sensitivity, intrusiveness, and hostility, as well as child responsiveness. The infant's affect and gaze were coded in real time across all three episodes. A new, global coding scheme, which incorporated aspects of reunion behavior codes from Ainsworth's Strange Situation paradigm, was used to measure infant behavior in the reengagement period. The major finding was that at age 4 months, infants of mothers who were more sensitive in play reengaged following the still-face using a more well-regulated, interpresonally oriented style, whereas infants of mothers who were less sensitive exhibited high amounts of avoidant and/or resistant behaviors in reengagement. In addition, exploratory longitudinal data revealed some predictive validity of the 4-month reengagement codes to 12-month Ainsworth attachment scales.

Continuity of response to strange situations

This study investigated how the early mother-infant relationship supports an infant's ability to regulate emotion following the disruption of normal interaction. The responses of 29 4-month-old infants and their economically disadvantaged, predominantly minority mothers were examined during the “still-face” paradigm. Mothers were asked to play with their infants for 5 min, maintain a still, affectless expression for 2 min, and resume play for 3 min. Specifically, the relation between dyadic emotional availability in play and the infant's behavior in the period following the still-face, when mothers reengaged with their infants, was explored. Dyadic interaction during play was coded with a scale measuring maternal sensitivity, intrusiveness, and hostility, as well as child responsiveness. The infant's affect and gaze were coded in real time across all three episodes. A new, global coding scheme, which incorporated aspects of reunion behavior codes from Ainsworth's Strange Situation paradigm, was used to measure infant behavior in the reengagement period. The major finding was that at age 4 months, infants of mothers who were more sensitive in play reengaged following the still-face using a more well-regulated, interpresonally oriented style, whereas infants of mothers who were less sensitive exhibited high amounts of avoidant and/or resistant behaviors in reengagement. In addition, exploratory longitudinal data revealed some predictive validity of the 4-month reengagement codes to 12-month Ainsworth attachment scales.