Early Childhood Family Research Articles

Early childhood family threat and longitudinal amygdala-mPFC circuit development: Examining cortical thickness and gray matter-white matter contrast

Early threat-associated cortical thinning may be interpreted as accelerated cortical development. However, non-adaptive processes may show similar macrostructural changes. Examining cortical thickness (CT) together with grey/white-matter contrast (GWC), a proxy for intracortical myelination, may enhance the interpretation of CT findings. In this prospective study, we examined associations between early life family-related threat (harsh parenting, family conflict, and neighborhood safety) and CT and GWC development from late childhood to middle adolescence. MRI was acquired from 4200 children (2069 boys) from the Generation R study at ages 8, 10 and 14 years (in total 6114 scans), of whom 1697 children had >1 scans. Linear mixed effect models were used to examine family factor-by-age interactions on amygdala volume, caudal and rostral anterior cingulate (ACC) and medial orbitofrontal cortex (mOFC) CT and GWC. A neighborhood safety-by-age-interaction was found for rostral ACC GWC, suggesting less developmental change in children from unsafe neighborhoods. Moreover, after more stringent correction for motion, family conflict was associated with greater developmental change in CT but less developmental change in GWC. Results suggest that early threat may blunt ACC GWC development. Our results, therefore, do not provide evidence for accelerated threat-associated structural development of the amygdala-mPFC circuit between ages 8–14 years.

Discussion on father participation in preschool family education

In Chinese-style early childhood education, the father’s role in early childhood education is crucial. However, fatherless family education has become the norm and has attracted widespread attention from academic circles. Studies have shown that father involvement in children’s early growth stages plays a key role in their overall development. Parents’ differences in communication and interaction and their unique experiences are of great significance to children’s early social development and emotional well-being. They also have a profound impact on the growth of boys in shaping children’s gender cognition and identity. In modern Chinese society, the combination of traditional concepts and life pressure has caused many fathers to fail to fully participate in children’s education. This study aims to explore the importance of father involvement in early childhood, analyze the existing problems of father involvement in early childhood family education under the current domestic situation, and propose effective strategies to promote father involvement in early childhood family education.

From classroom to life: Gender differences in the persistent effect of learning disabilities on adult depressive symptoms

Despite the well-established link between adolescent learning disabilities (LD) and mental health, little is known about its long-term consequences. This study examines the relationship between adolescent LD and adult depressive symptoms, with a focus on gender differences and underlying mechanisms. Using a sibling sample from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (N = 3,414), this study estimated sibling fixed effects models to account for unobserved family-level characteristics such as genes and early childhood family and social context. Sobel mediation analyses were conducted to examine social-psychological mechanisms, including the student-teacher relationship, the student-student relationship, and a sense of school belonging. LD in adolescence was positively associated with depressive symptoms in adulthood (b = 0.823, p < 0.05). This association remained robust when controlling for unobserved family-level confounders as well as educational attainment in adulthood. Gender-stratified models showed that only the association for women is statistically significant (b = 1.935, p < 0.05), and its magnitude is nearly three times that of the association for men. Sobel mediation tests indicate that a decline in a sense of school belonging mediates approximately 17% of the association between adolescent LD and adult depressive symptoms. This study's findings suggest that LD in adolescence is associated with an increase in depressive symptoms in adulthood, particularly in women, and a low sense of school belonging may be a potential mediator. Implementing interventions to improve the school integration of girls with LD could be an effective means of improving their long-term mental health.

Early childhood caries, family functioning, and common mental disorders in a region of Belo Horizonte, Brazil

Aim: This cross-sectional study aimed to analyze the need for dental treatment in preschool children concerning early childhood caries (ECC), evaluated by the School Health Program (SHP); family functioning; and common mental disorders (CMDs) within families in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Methods: A structured questionnaire was applied to the main caretaker of the 61 children by telephone contact. The questions addressed socioeconomic and demographic data; the Questionnaire of General Family Functioning (GFF) sought to investigate family functioning; and the Self-Reporting Questionnaire (SRQ-20) served to screen for CMDs among the main caretakers. Secondary data were collected from the SHP to survey the need for oral health treatments. The dependent variable was the need for tooth restoration or extraction. The data were analyzed descriptively and by Pearson’s chi-square and Fisher’s exact tests (p &lt; 0.05), using SPSS v.22.0. Results: The median age of the children was 5 years old, and 32.8% required treatment for dental caries. There was no association between the need for tooth restoration or extraction and socioeconomic factors, family relations, and the presence of CMDs in the main caretaker (p &gt; 0.05). However, there was a greater frequency of need for treatment in families with low income (24.6%) and with less social support (family and friends &lt; 1). Children whose family was included in the Family Grant Program (62.3%), the respondent was the mother (57.4%), had completed high school or higher (36.1%), no paid work (42.6%), with a traditional or nuclear family structure (27.8%), and living in a house with good sanitary conditions (63.9%) presented a lower frequency of need for treatment. The GFF and SRQ-20 values among preschool children with and without the need for dental treatment were similar. Conclusion: There was a trend of a higher need for ECC treatment in children from families with lower income and less familiar and social support.

War Trauma of Young Children as a Pedagogical Challenge in the New Model of Early Childhood Development and Family Support

Abstract The aim of the article is the attempt to implement solutions of a new model of child and family support for aid activities addressed to children and families of war refugees from Ukraine. Such a model would have to take into account the main effect of hostilities in their country, which is usually trauma, and the fact that the sense of security associated with the necessity to migrate, being a refugee, is lowered. The text contains both an analysis of research on the experience of war trauma and proposals for the selection of effective, adequate work tools as part of the project to support such families. The new model of early support for children and families assumes the revitalization of the existing systemic solutions, broadening the spectrum of diagnosis and taking into account the entire family system as a support entity, using all its resources. Therefore, it is a new space in the area of helping children with special needs, and refugee children can be considered as such.

Household income supplements in early childhood to reduce inequities in children's development

BackgroundEarly childhood interventions have the potential to reduce children's developmental inequities. We aimed to estimate the extent to which household income supplements for lower-income families in early childhood could close the gap in children's developmental outcomes and parental mental health. MethodsData were drawn from a nationally representative birth cohort, the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (N = 5107), which commenced in 2004 and conducted follow-ups every two years. Exposure was annual household income (0–1 year). Outcomes were children's developmental outcomes, specifically social-emotional, physical functioning, and learning (bottom 15% versus top 85%) at 4–5 years, and an intermediate outcome, parental mental health (poor versus good) at 2–3 years. We modelled hypothetical interventions that provided a fixed-income supplement to lower-income families with a child aged 0–1 year. Considering varying eligibility scenarios and amounts motivated by actual policies in the Australian context, we estimated the risk of poor outcomes for eligible families under no intervention and the hypothetical intervention using marginal structural models. The reduction in risk under intervention relative to no intervention was estimated. ResultsA single hypothetical supplement of AU$26,000 (equivalent to ∼USD$17,350) provided to lower-income families (below AU$56,137 (∼USD$37,915) per annum) in a child's first year of life demonstrated an absolute reduction of 2.7%, 1.9% and 2.6% in the risk of poor social-emotional, physical functioning and learning outcomes in children, respectively (equivalent to relative reductions of 12%, 10% and 11%, respectively). The absolute reduction in risk of poor mental health in eligible parents was 1.0%, equivalent to a relative reduction of 7%. Benefits were similar across other income thresholds used to assess eligibility (range, AU$73,329-$99,864). ConclusionsHousehold income supplements provided to lower-income families may benefit children's development and parental mental health. This intervention should be considered within a social-ecological approach by stacking complementary interventions to eliminate developmental inequities.

Mindfulness, coping, and disruptions as predictors of college student distress at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic

Objective: This research examined how stressors experienced by college students within the first month of the COVID-19 pandemic were associated with their reports of psychological distress, mindfulness, and coping strategies. Participants: Students attending 11 universities in the U.S. (N = 464, M age = 20.72, SD = 3.90, 91% female, 61% White, and 77% non-Hispanic) in early childhood education, child development, and family science classes participated. Methods: Students completed an online survey about pandemic-related disruptions, depressive symptoms, mindfulness, coping, and demographics. Results: Students whose families had more financial difficulties reported more disruptions. Depression and avoidant coping were positively correlated with distress, while mindfulness was inversely correlated with distress and depression. Disruptions, family financial status, depressive symptoms, mindfulness, and avoidant coping significantly predicted distress, controlling for university site and student sex, age, race, and ethnicity in multiple regression analyses. Avoidant coping significantly moderated (amplified) the effect of disruptions on distress. Conclusions: College student well-being can be supported through Campus programming that includes mindfulness practices and alternatives to avoidant strategies for coping with stress.

Concurrent and prospective associations between family socioeconomic status, social support and salivary diurnal and hair cortisol in adolescence.

Exposure to socioeconomic adversity is hypothesized to impact hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity and cortisol secretion, but existing evidence is inconsistent. Yet, few studies have investigated this association using a developmental approach that considers potential protective contextual factors. This study examined the role of stability and changes in family socioeconomic status (SES) in the prediction of multiple cortisol indicators and tested whether social support moderated these associations. Participants were part of a population-based sample of twin pairs recruited at birth. Family SES was assessed in early childhood (ages 0-5) and mid-adolescence (age 14). Social support was assessed at ages 14 and 19. Diurnal cortisol (n = 569) was measured at age 14 at awakening, 30 min later, in the afternoon and evening over four non-consecutive days. Hair cortisol concentration (HCC, n = 704) was measured at age 19. All data were collected before the pandemic and multilevel regression models were conducted to account for the nested data structure. Youth exposed to lower family SES levels in childhood and mid-adolescence had a flatter diurnal slope and higher HCC compared with those who experienced upward socioeconomic mobility in mid-adolescence. Contrastingly, mid-adolescence SES showed no association with the diurnal slope or HCC for youth from higher-SES households in early childhood. Moreover, youth raised in higher-SES families in early childhood had a higher CAR in mid-adolescence if they reported greater social support in mid-adolescence. Social support also moderated the SES-cortisol association in mid-adolescence, with higher-SES youth showing higher awakening cortisol secretion when reporting more social support. Our findings support the hypothesis that early socioeconomic adversity sensitizes HPA axis activity to later socioeconomic disadvantage, which may bear consequences for socioemotional and behavioral functioning.

Advancing earlier transdiagnostic identification of mental health risk: A pragmatic approach at the transition to toddlerhood.

In light of the youth mental health crisis, as 1 in 5 children have a mental disorder diagnosis by age 3, identification of transdiagnostic behavioral vulnerability prior to impairing psychopathology must occur at an earlier phase of the clinical sequence. Here, we lay the groundwork for a pragmatic irritability measure to identify at-risk infant-toddlers. Data comprised N=350 diverse infant-toddlers and their mothers assessed at ∼14months old for irritability (Multidimensional Assessment Profiles- Temper Loss-Infant/Toddler (MAPS-TL-IT) and impairment (Early Childhood Irritability-Related Impairment Interview, E-CRI; and Family Life Impairment Scale (FLIS). Bimonthly follow-up surveys assessed impairment (FLIS) over the following year. Stepwise logistic regression indicated that 5 MAPS-TL-IT items were most informative for differentiating concurrent impairment on the FLIS: "frustrated about small things"; "hit, bite, or kick during tantrums"; "trouble cheering up when grumpy"; "grumpy during fun activities" and "tantrums in public". With this summed score, Receiver Operating Characteristics analysis differentiating concurrent impairment on the E-CRI indicated good classification accuracy for (Area under the curve=0.755, p<0.05), with a cutoff of 5 maximizing sensitivity (71.4%) and specificity (70.6%). Elevated irritability on this MAPS-TL-IT clinically optimized screener increased likelihood of persistently elevated FLIS impairment trajectories over the following year more than fourfold (OR=4.37; Confidence intervals=2.40-7.97, p<0.001). Our findings represent the first step toward a pragmatic tool for screening for transdiagnostic mental health risk in toddlers, optimized for feasibility in clinical care. This has potential to strengthen resilience pathways via earlier identification of mental health risk and corollary prevention in toddlers.

Analysis of the Factors Affecting the Development of Parent-Child Play in Young Families

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the factors affecting the development of family parent-child play in young children. In the literature review section, the concepts of parent-child play and family parent-child play are first defined, and their essential characteristics and connotations are clarified. Then, using the research method of desktop research, the current research status at home and abroad was analyzed, and it was found that domestic research mainly focused on three aspects: society, kindergarten and family, while foreign research mainly focused on cross-cultural research of parent-child play, psychotherapy, parental roles and influencing factors. This study also utilized semi-structured interviews to understand the current status of parent-child play conducted by parents today through interviews. An assessment of the existing research found that although some results have been achieved in the areas of the role of parent-child play, parental roles and psychotherapy, there are still some issues that need to be improved and thoroughly researched. Research on kindergarten parent-child game design is too general, research on family parent-child games is limited by geographical space, empirical studies are not detailed and in-depth enough, and there is a lack of exploration of the changes in the types of parent-child games under social change. Therefore, this paper aims to further explore these issues and deeply analyze the factors affecting the development of family parent-child games for young children. Using desktop research method and interview method, this paper aims to provide theoretical and practical guidance for promoting the development of parent-child play in families with young children by examining physical, individual and social factors, and by drawing on foreign research findings in cross-cultural studies, psychotherapy, parental roles and factors influencing parent-child play. The significance of this paper is that it fills the gap in the research on early childhood family parent-child play and provides a theoretical basis for further research and practice.

Responsibility as an Ethics and Sustainability Element during the Pandemic.

This article addresses two perspectives of responsibility: as an element of taking action and as ethics towards one's fellow citizens and the environment. These aspects have been used since the beginning of the pandemic. In this context, we wanted to determine the mechanism that triggers increased responsibility. We have considered two possible initial processes: one external and one learned from the family in early childhood or trained/learned during studies. Based on that, three concerns were brought to our attention. First, we targeted the impact of the pandemic on respondents' degree of responsibility for their livelihoods. Second, we wanted to determine to what extent the new situation increased the interviewee's involvement only in some activities. The third statement called into question the causal relation between the influence of extrinsic elements on a highly educated person's degree of responsibility. The focus group was the active population of the industrial sector in the North-West border area of Romania. The data obtained are the result of the sociological survey implementation. The people in the region were subject to several new limiting external factors. The results show that the unique challenges up to that point made them more accountable for their actions in a situation that affected them directly (pandemic). It also can be underlined that lifelong education is important in forming healthy principles of responsibility.

Kongruentnost i aktuelnost Komenskijevih shvatanja o teoriji i praksi predškolskog i porodičnog vaspitanja

The aim of this paper is to consider the currency of Comenius's understandings of preschool and family education, and their congruence with the modern theory and practice of preschool and family education. In this context, a comparative research was conducted, utilizing the method of theoretical analysis, and the technique of content analysis. The comparative analysis implies that many of Comenius's ideas are still relevant, and congruent with contemporary theoretical and empirical knowledge about preschool and family education to a great extent. The conformity of attitudes within the pedagogical system was recorded, despite the fact that Comenius's attitudes regarding children's nature and childhood, goals, importance and content of early childhood education and family environment, as well as the role of parents in that process were presented and developed in unique historical and sociopolitical circumstances. Although the comparative analysis carried out has certain limitations (selective choice of primary and secondary sources of analysis, difficulties in establishing equivalence), this work can be a stimulus for further elaboration of Comenius' essential understandings of preschool and family education in conditions of increasingly complex crises in education and the family.

Research on the Problems and Countermeasures of Community Support for Early Childhood Family Education

Research on the Problems and Countermeasures of Community Support for Early Childhood Family Education

Communication with families: Understanding the perspectives of early childhood teachers

Communication between teachers and families in early childhood is a key aspect of successful teacher-family engagement. The goal of this exploratory study was to investigate how teachers communicated with families in early childhood classrooms and what they communicated about. This study of 31 teachers working with children birth to age five, primarily in the Midwestern U.S. examined how they described communication with families using semi-structured interviews. Findings indicated that teachers used multiple formats to communicate with families about children’s daily routines, developmental progress, and other relevant information. Teachers preferred in-person communication although challenges occurred due to classroom dynamics and the global COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. Technology such as apps and messaging emerged as an efficient way to reach most families, however difficulties facilitating reciprocal communication with families were described. Further research is needed to identify successful communication strategies for both teachers and families, thus building higher quality teacher-family partnerships.

An interesting clinical case, which demonstrates the capability of psycho-diagnostic examination for women with vaginismus who had experience of early childhood family violence

An interesting clinical case, which demonstrates the capability of psycho-diagnostic examination for women with vaginismus who had experience of early childhood family violence

Different families, diverse strengths: Long-term implications of early childhood family processes on adolescent positive functioning.

With studies primarily focusing on family risk factors on adolescent maladjustment, less is known about positive family processes that facilitate adolescent positive development. This study aimed to identify different configurations of parental involvement and interparental affection during early childhood from a person-centered approach and examine their long-term implications on adolescent positive functioning at age 15. In a sample of 495 2-parent families (53.3% boys; mothers: 42.0% White, 24.7% Black, 27.4% Hispanic, 5.9% other; family income: Median = $42,500), both parents reported interparental affection and their involvement with the child at the child's age 1 and 5, respectively. Adolescents reported their engagement, perseverance, optimism, connectedness, and happiness at age 15. Six profiles of early family processes were identified via the latent profile analysis, including Child-Centered (13.3%; average to high parental involvement and low interparental affection), Distressed Mother (14.5%; low mother involvement and mothers perceiving less affection from fathers), Collaborative (9.9%; relatively more mother involvement with the child and relatively more fathers' affection toward mothers), Cohesive (36.0%; high parental involvement and high interparental affection), Couple-Centered (19.6%; low parental involvement and high interparental affection), and Disengaged (6.7%; low parental involvement and low interparental affection) families. At age 15 (after controlling for family demographics), adolescents in Child-Centered families reported more engagement, adolescents in Cohesive families reported more happiness, adolescents in Cohesive and Collaborative families reported more perseverance and connectedness, and adolescents in Disengaged families reported the lowest optimism. Results highlight that different family configurations during early childhood have differentiated implications on adolescent positive functioning. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Relation Helicobacter pylori with Pathogenesis of Stomach and Immune Responses

Background: Helicobacter pylori, a member of Epsilonproteobacteria, is a Gram-negative microaerophilic bacterium that colonizes gastric mucosa of about 50% of the human population. Although most infections caused by H. pylori are asymptomatic, the microorganism is strongly associated with serious diseases of the upper gastrointestinal tract such as chronic gastritis, peptic ulcer, duodenal ulcer, and gastric cancer, and it is classified as a group I carcinogen. The prevalence of H. pylori infections varies worldwide. prevalence among middle-aged adults is over 80 percent in many developing countries, as compared with 20 to 50 percent in industrialized countries. The infection is acquired by oral ingestion of the bacterium and is mainly transmitted within families in early childhood, Humans can also become infected with Helicobacter heilmannii, a spiral bacterium found in dogs, cats, pigs, and nonhuman primates. &#x0D; Conclusion: H. pylori infection stimulates the reaction of autoantibodies with gastric epithelial cells, and this leads to gastritis. These autoantibodies can be directly induced to epithelial cells by activating complement, inducing apoptosis or provoking an antibody-dependent cytotoxic reaction resulting in subsequent tissue destruction.

Global Trends in the Research on Early Childhood Education during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Bibliometric Analysis

During the COVID-19 pandemic, schools and preschools worldwide have been suspended, causing many challenges for students, parents, and teachers. Through home-schooling, preschool children struggle to accept new (online) learning modes. Teachers need to acquire digital skills quickly to deliver online teaching, while parents need to take on the role of a tutor at home to facilitate their children’s learning. This study aims to gauge the global trends in the research on early childhood education (ECE) during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly considering the need for a swift response to the impact of the pandemic. We employed the bibliometric approach to studying ECE studies during the pandemic by identifying the countries of most-cited publications, most-cited categories of studies, and research methodologies used in the eligible studies (N = 507). Analysis reveals that technology integration in ECE has grown fast to timely facilitate online teaching and resolve varied challenges such as parental stress, a lack of resources, and the quality of education in this field. Based on the bibliometric approach, we highlighted research focusing on key themes such as online learning and teaching, physical activity, stress and mental health, and families in early childhood. This study offers a global perspective on ECE research during the pandemic and provides researchers, policymakers, and practitioners with future directions.

Stop arguing! How childhood exposure to interparental conflict affects consumer response toward product review dispersion

This paper explores how exposure to interparental conflict (IPC) during one's childhood impacts online buyer behavior later in adulthood. We show that people who report having witnessed higher (vs. lower) levels of IPC as children evaluate products less favorably when they are associated with product reviews exhibiting a higher (vs. lower) dispersion of opinion. This result is driven by a desire to avoid conflict. The research deepens the understanding consumer responses to review dispersion by identifying a novel psychological factor. It also contributes to the developmental psychology and socialization literatures by documenting the long-lasting impact of early childhood family communication processes on adult consumer behavior. Future research avenues are discussed.

Trajectories of early childhood family instability and the development of externalizing behaviors from middle childhood to adolescence: A prospective study of at-risk families.

This study examined associations between trajectories of family instability across early childhood and trajectories of externalizing behaviors from middle childhood to adolescence. Growth mixture models were fit to annual caregiver reports of instability from child ages 2-5 (N=731; 49% girls, 50% White). A curve of factors model was fit to externalizing behaviors from child ages 7.5-14. Chronic, elevated instability across early childhood predicted elevated externalizing behaviors from middle childhood to adolescence. Data collection spanned from 2002 to 2017. Increasing or declining levels of instability predicted elevated externalizing behaviors in middle to late childhood, but not in adolescence. Caregiver depressive symptoms mediated the association between instability and the externalizing behavior intercept. Intervening on chronic instability may reduce child externalizing problems.