Parental Sensitivity Research Articles

Atopic diseases-Diagnostics, mechanisms, and exposures.

Epidemiological data suggest that atopic diseases begin in early life and that most cases present clinically during early childhood. The diseases are highly prevalent and increase as communities adopt western lifestyles. Disentangling the pathophysiological mechanisms leading to disease debut is necessary to identify beneficial/harmful exposures so that successful prevention and treatment can be generated. The objective of this review is to explore the definition of atopy and mechanisms of atopic diseases, and to investigate the importance of environmental factors in early life, prior to disease development. First, the distribution of sIgE levels in children is investigated, as this is one of the main criteria for the definition of atopy. Thereafter, it is explored how studies of parental atopic status, sensitization patterns, and early debut and severity of atopic dermatitis have substantiated the theory of an early-life window of opportunity for intervention that precedes the development of atopic diseases in childhood. Then, it is examined whether early-life exposures such as breastfeeding, dogs, cats, and house dust mites in the home perinatally constitute important influencers in this crucial time of life. Finally, it is discussed how these findings could be validated in randomized controlled trials, which might prepare the ground for improved diagnostics and prevention strategies to mitigate the current atopic pandemic.

Komodifikasi “Konten Anak” dalam Perspektif Ekonomi Politik Media

This study aims to determine the commodification process carried out in children's content through the perspective of media political economy. This research is a descriptive qualitative research. The analysis was carried out using semiotic analysis from John Fiske which divided the levels of analysis into 3 levels, namely reality, representation and ideology. The subjects in this study were children's content in youtube shows. The objects in this study were selected using purposive sampling techniques. The results of the analysis showed that child-laden impressions became an attractive commodity. The naivety, purity, and spontaneity of children steal the attention of the audience. Creating shows containing highly sensitive parenting issues in Indonesia is a form of commodification of content. Making children objects in impressions is part of the commodification of workers. The audience also works to donate by providing views and likes which are then sold by content creators to advertisers to get endorsed products which will then again use the child as an endorser. Leaving aside things that contain information and education, prioritize revenue targets by selling sensations. In the end, content containing children is no different from other content that is oriented towards material profit alone.

Building resilience in families experiencing homelessness through integration of health, parenting and child development programs.

Children who experience homelessness are vulnerable to mental health problems, developmental delays and lower academic achievement. Research suggests that parental health literacy, sensitive parenting behaviour and child self-regulation are modifiable mechanisms that might enhance children's resilience to adversities associated with homelessness, yet empirical evidence on implementing such interventions in shelter settings is limited. Through a coordinated academic-community partnership, this study aimed to examine the (1) feasibility of conducting an integrated health approach in shelter settings and (2) the effectiveness of separate interventions on child and parent outcomes. Results are discussed in terms of best practices in shelter settings and building resilience in families experiencing homelessness with young children.

Allergen Sensitization of Parents and Children With Respiratory Allergic Diseases

Allergen Sensitization of Parents and Children With Respiratory Allergic Diseases

Exploring the Pathways to Psychological Well-Being: Residential Mobility, Parental Sensitivity, and Adjustment in Emerging Adults

This study investigated the impact of parental sensitivity on emerging adults' psychological well-being. Using a moderated mediation model, it explored how adjustment (prosocial and aggressive behavior) mediates the association between perceived parental sensitivity and psychological well-being of emerging adults. Additionally, residential mobility was examined as a moderator in the relationship between parental sensitivity and adjustment. A sample of 445 emerging adults ( M age = 21.46, SDage = 2.33) reported the number of their past moves and rated their parents’ sensitivity, their adjustment, and their psychological well-being. Results revealed that high maternal sensitivity positively predicted psychological well-being through increased prosocial behavior. This indirect relationship was significant only among individuals with lower levels of residential mobility. This pattern was not observed with paternal sensitivity, and the model yielded insignificant results for aggressive behavior. These findings highlight the significance of early maternal sensitivity in influencing the adjustment and psychological well-being of emerging adults.

Variability in adolescent reception of parental support: Testing the domain-matching hypothesis.

The present study investigated matches and mismatches between adolescent and parent socialization domains (i.e., protection, guidance) as related to adolescent reception of parental support during a laboratory-based social evaluation challenge. Participants were 80 early adolescents (Mage = 12.36 years, SD = 1.33, 55% males, 55% Black, 42.5% White, and 2.5% other races or ethnicities) and one parent or guardian per adolescent. Observational measures of parent socialization domains assessed sensitivity to adolescents' thoughts and feelings (protection domain) and prosocial behavioral advice (guidance domain). Measures of parallel adolescent socialization domains included self-reported discomfort during a social evaluation challenge (protection domain) and desire to continue the social evaluation challenge (guidance domain). Adolescent reception of parental support was assessed using an observational measure of adolescent attentiveness and responsiveness to the parent during a parent-adolescent discussion about how to approach the social evaluation challenge. Analyses of interactions between measures of parent and adolescent socialization domains revealed: (a) higher levels of adolescent-reported discomfort during the social evaluation challenge interfered with their reception of parental prosocial behavioral advice but did not enhance their reception of parental sensitivity, and (b) higher levels of adolescent-reported desire to continue the social evaluation challenge interfered with their reception of parental sensitivity but did not enhance their reception of parental prosocial behavioral advice. This study advances socialization research by identifying conditions under which adolescents are more and less receptive to supportive communication from parents. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Parental sensitivity and family conversation: A naturalistic longitudinal study with both mothers and fathers across three time-points in early infancy.

Parental verbal sensitivity is known to promote child language skills, but few studies have considered: (a) links between global (i.e., verbal, behavioral, and affective) measures of parental sensitivity and infant-initiated conversations, an important precursor to language development; (b) whether maternal and paternal sensitivity show similar links with infant-initiated conversation; or (c) the transactional role of infant conversation for later parental sensitivity. Addressing these gaps, this study of 186 British first-time parents (93 families) examines the developmental dynamics between parental sensitivity and infant communication across the first year of life. We explore; (i) the role of maternal and paternal sensitivity (assessed during structured home observations at 4 months post-partum) for parent-infant conversational interactions at 7 months (indexed by day-long naturalistic recordings), and (ii) whether these mother-infant and father-infant conversations at 7 months shape maternal and paternal sensitivity at 14 months (also assessed via structured home observations). For both male and female infants, maternal (but not paternal) sensitivity at 4 months predicted infant vocalisations and conversational initiation at 7-months. By contrast, neither index of infant talk predicted maternal or paternal sensitivity at 14 months. Together these findings refine understanding of theoretical models of social development and suggest new possibilities for future research.

Paternal and Maternal Depressive Symptoms and Sensitivity: Links with Trajectories of Socioemotional Problems in Toddlerhood.

Parental depressive symptoms and sensitivity have well-documented consequences for children; however, studies considering both parents are still scarce. This longitudinal study aimed to investigate the respective roles of paternal and maternal depressive symptoms and sensitivity in predicting the development of child socioemotional problems during toddlerhood. We also investigated the buffering role of each parent's sensitivity in the associations between the other parent's depressive symptoms and toddlers' socioemotional problems. The sample consisted of 140 Canadian families who were visited in their homes when children were around 13 (T1), 19 (T2), and 27 (T3) months of age. At T1, both parents' sensitivity was assessed from observations of parent-child interactions at home and each parent reported on his or her own depressive symptoms. At T1, T2, and T3, maternal and paternal perceptions of their toddler's socioemotional problems were assessed and aggregated. Growth curve analyses revealed that paternal and maternal depressive symptoms as well as paternal sensitivity were unique and persistent predictors of child socioemotional problems and that sensitive fathering acted as a buffer in the context of maternal depressive symptoms. This study highlights the importance of considering both parents when studying risk and protective factors for young children's socioemotional problems.

A cognitive script perspective on how early caregiving experiences inform adolescent peer relationships and loneliness: A 14-year longitudinal study of Chinese families.

Leveraging data from a longitudinal study of Chinese families (n=364), this research aims to understand the role of secure base script knowledge as a cognitive mechanism by which early caregiving experiences inform adolescents' friendship quality and feelings of loneliness. Results showed that observed maternal sensitivity at 14 and 24 months old was negatively associated with adolescents' self-reported conflicts with close friends (β=-0.17, p=0.044) at 15 years old, and this association was partially mediated by their secure base script knowledge assessed at 10 years old. Further, secure base script knowledge moderated the link between adolescents' friend conflict and feelings of loneliness (β=-0.15, p=0.037). The results support a cognitive script perspective on the association between early caregiving experiences and later socio-emotional adjustment. Furthermore, this study adds to the developmental literature that has previously focused on more stringent and authoritarian aspects of parenting in Chinese families, thereby contributing to our understanding of how sensitive and supportive parenting practices contribute to socio-emotional development outside of Western contexts. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS: Maternal sensitivity during infancy and toddlerhood has a long-term association with adolescents' friendship quality and adolescents' secure base script partially explains the association. First evidence to demonstrate that the secure base script in attachment relationships mediates the association between early maternal caregiving and socio-emotional development in Chinese adolescents. Adolescents lacking secure base script knowledge are particularly vulnerable to feelings of loneliness when facing high levels of conflict in close friendships.

Considerations in cultural adaptation of parent-child interventions for African American mothers and children exposed to intimate partner violence.

African American women are at disproportionate risk of experiencing intimate partner violence (IPV) and consistently report more severe and recurrent IPV victimization in comparison to their White and Hispanic counterparts. IPV is more likely to occur in families with children than in couples without children. Parenting in the wake of IPV is a challenging reality faced by many African American women in the United States. Despite the urgent need to support mothers who have survived IPV, there is currently no culturally adapted parenting intervention for African American mothers following exposure to IPV. The aim of this review is to summarize and integrate two disparate literatures, hitherto unintegrated; namely the literature base on parenting interventions for women and children exposed to IPV and the literature base on parenting interventions through the lens of African American racial and cultural factors. Our review identified 7 questions that researchers may consider in adapting IPV parenting interventions for African American women and children. These questions are discussed as a possible roadmap for the adaptation of more culturally sensitive IPV parenting programs.

A new look at parenting through the cultural context: Development and initial psychometric evidence of the Interculturally Sensitive Parenting Scale (ISPAS)

This study aimed to evaluate the measurement characteristics of a newly developed scale to assess interculturally sensitive parenting for mothers and fathers of children and adolescents ranging from 4 to 18 years of age. The development of the Interculturally Sensitive Parenting Scale (ISPAS) ended up with five separate samples, with a total of 1522 parents (884 mothers and 638 fathers), in a five-step process. In the first phase, we generated a pool with 28 items and received input from content experts (n = 5) and cognitive interviews (n = 10), resulting in 23 items. In Study 2 (n = 602), which included inter-item and item-total correlations, eigenvalues, exploratory factor analysis, scree plots, and parallel analysis, six more items were excluded from the item pool, resulting in a one-dimensional construct with 17 items. In Study 3 (n = 607), along with parenting role (mother and father) invariance, confirmatory factor analysis supported the single-factor construct with 17 items, with excellent internal consistency with a high Cronbach's alpha. In Study 4 (n = 303), the analyses indicated that the ISPAS with a one-dimensional construct had good discriminant and convergent validity. Lastly, the 4-week test-retest reliability analysis of the ISPAS in Study 5 (n = 204) supported the stability of the measure. Taken together, the findings validated the usage of the 17-item ISPAS in reliably assessing mothers' and fathers' interculturally sensitive parenting. We hope academics from different disciplines, practitioners, mental health professionals, and educators will benefit from the assessment of the ISPAS presented in this study.

Maternal childhood trauma and observed maternal care behaviors with 4-month-old infants.

To examine the relationship between maternal childhood trauma and early maternal caregiving behaviors (MCB). Participants included 74 mother-infant dyads (maternal age 20-45 years; ethnicity 64.9% Latina) from a longitudinal pregnancy cohort study. Maternal childhood trauma was assessed during pregnancy with the childhood trauma questionnaire (CTQ). Observed mother-infant interactions at infant age 4 months were coded utilizing modified Ainsworth's MCB rating scales that assessed a range of behaviors (e.g., acceptance, soothing, and delight) which we analyze grouped together and will summarize using the term "maternal sensitivity." Linear regressions tested the associations between maternal childhood trauma and MCB. Primary analyses examined the relationships of MCB with (a) any maternal childhood trauma (moderate or greater exposure to physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, physical neglect, and/or emotional neglect) and (b) cumulative childhood trauma. Secondary analyses examined the relationships between each type of childhood trauma and MCB. Exposure to childhood trauma was not associated with MCB (p = .88). Cumulative childhood trauma score was associated with lower scores on MCB (β = -1.88, p < .05). Emotional abuse and emotional neglect were individually associated with lower scores on MCB (β = -1.78, p = .04; β = -1.55, p = .04, respectively). Physical abuse, sexual abuse, and physical neglect were not associated with MCB. Many mothers exposed to childhood trauma may be resilient to negative effects on parenting behaviors, while specific experiences of childhood trauma (emotional abuse, emotional neglect, and cumulative childhood trauma) may predict less sensitive early parenting behaviors. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Playing with the child within: Early parenthood experiences of parents who were out-of-home placed during childhood

Experience of out-of-home care (OHC) is associated with life-long vulnerability, and research indicates that parents with experiences of OHC are at higher risk of having their own children placed in out-of-home care. However, research on these parents is limited and lacks a resilience perspective. Here, we focused on parents with OHC experience as children but with custody of their own children (N = 12) and asked where these parents can draw strength in parenting, using a standardized interview with focus on thoughts, feelings, and parenting experiences. Importantly, all content related to OHC experience was disclosed in the context of discussing parental caregiving, without any specific questions asked. We investigated whether caregiving representations associated with the ability to promote security in the child were linked to parents’ attachment scripts, comprising implicit expectations of sensitivity and helpfulness in attachment-related interactions, or reflective functioning, denoting the capacity to take the mental perspective of the child. We coded interviews following standardized coding instructions, for reflective thinking and other important variables that capture strategies for processing relational and emotional themes. Narratives in which the parents had spontaneously made references to their childhood experiences were coded through qualitative content analysis. Results showed that autonomous caregiving representations were associated with the content in parents’ attachment scripts but not their reflective functioning. Themes reveal distinct tendencies in these parents’ caregiving representations: Own adverse childhood experiences were often expressed as separation anxiety or feelings of guilt in relation to parenting. An unmet need for support was common , as were concerns about stigma and vulnerability associated with disseminating information about their background. Nevertheless, parental caregiving involves for those parents motivation to break patterns of adversity, provide sensitive parenting, but also understand, accept oneself and develop.

Parental sensitivity and intrusiveness with mothers and fathers: Associations between parental behavioral activation/inhibition and infant temperament.

Understanding the factors contributing to sensitive parenting is crucial to optimize infant social and emotional functioning. Research has supported the association between parents' personality and parenting quality, but findings are inconsistent when examining various global personality measures. Further, it is likely that the interaction between parent-level (e.g., personality) and infant-level characteristics (e.g., temperament) are more strongly associated with caregiving quality. Most studies examining predictors of parenting quality have only included mothers, compared to fathers. The current study examined the interaction between parental personality and infant temperament and associations with parental sensitivity and intrusiveness with mothers and fathers. The participants included families (n=102) when the infants were 4, 6, and 8months old. Using parent report measures and a face-to-face play task, significant main effects of maternal behavioral inhibition on parenting behaviors were observed for mothers. A Behavioral Activation X Infant Negative Reactivity interaction predicted both maternal sensitivity and intrusiveness, whereas a Behavioral Inhibition X Infant Surgency predicted paternal intrusiveness. In summary, the results revealed support for the goodness-of-fit perspective between parents' personality and infant temperament.

Neural correlates of inhibitory control in the context of infant cry and paternal postpartum mental health

BackgroundInhibitory control, a form of self-regulation, may support sensitive parenting, but has been understudied in new fathers despite their pronounced risk for stress and mental health challenges. MethodsThis study probed the neural correlates of inhibitory control and its associations to first-time fathers' postpartum mental health, focusing on depressive symptoms, state anxiety, and perceived stress. Six months after their child’s birth, 38 fathers self-reported on their mood, anxiety, and stress, and performed a Go/No-Go fMRI task while listening to three sets of sounds (infant cry, pink noise, and silence). ResultsFathers’ behavioral inhibition accuracy was consistent across the sound conditions, but their patterns of neural activation varied. Compared to the pink noise condition, fathers showed heightened engagement in prefrontal regulatory regions when self-regulating during the infant cry and silent conditions. When examining correct trials only, results in visual motor area and primary somatosensory cortex emerged only for infant cry and not for pink noise and silence. Moreover, fathers reporting higher levels of postpartum depression, state anxiety, and perceived stress showed greater activation in prefrontal regions when inhibiting during infant cry or silence. ConclusionThis study is the first to underscore the complex interplay between the neural mechanisms related to inhibitory control and postpartum mental health and stress across varied auditory context, laying the groundwork for future research.

The unanticipated side effects of an attachment intervention: Parents ask higher quality questions.

Research suggests foster children are at risk for poor language skills. One intervention, attachment and biobehavioral catch-up (ABC), was shown to successfully improve not only young foster children's attachment to their parents, but also their receptive vocabulary skills (Bernard et al., 2017; Raby et al., 2019). Given that language acquisition is intricately linked to parents' sensitive interactions with their children, we ask whether the ABC intervention also improves the quality of parents' talk addressed to children. We test whether the ABC intervention results in more conversational turns between parents and their children. Crucially, we also look within these conversational turns, assessing the number and types of questions that parents ask children. Results suggest that parents who received the ABC intervention do not have more conversational turns or ask higher numbers of questions, compared to parents who received the control intervention. Rather, parents in the ABC group ask a higher proportion of child-led and restatement questions, and a lower proportion of parent-led and pedagogical questions, compared to the control. Additionally, the higher proportion of child-led questions were related to higher parental sensitivity scores. Together, these results suggest that an intervention originally designed to improve children's socioemotional outcomes had positive benefits for the quality of conversations between parents and children. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Early Parenting Precursors of Child Developmental Outcomes: What Counts Beyond Parental Sensitivity?

SYNOPSIS Objective. Parental sensitivity is a precursor of child developmental outcomes, but other parental behaviors such as warmth, stimulation of cognitive development, intrusiveness, and hostility are also associated with those outcomes. The aim of the current study was to untangle unique linkages among parental sensitivity, other parental behaviors, and outcome domains deemed relevant for child welfare in an ethnically homogenous sample. Design. Data from European American dyads of the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (N = 1,097) across 13 waves from 6 months to 15 years of age were split into two datasets for cross validation. Twelve of 284 outcome measures were selected a priori as domain indicators. Only one measure was eligible for the domain Coping, therefore this measure and domain were omitted. Results. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed acceptable model fit for robust outcome domains of Emotional Regulation Problems, Self-Concept, and Problem Behavior assessed during childhood and adolescence. Using structural equation modeling, parental sensitivity statistically predicted Emotional Regulation Problems during primary school and Problem Behavior throughout primary school and adolescence. However, prediction in adolescence was no longer statistically significant after adding demographic confounders. Stimulation of cognitive development predicted Problem Behavior during primary school over and above parental sensitivity, yet, this effect was no longer statistically significant after adding demographic confounders. Parental intrusiveness and detachment, positive and negative regard, and flatness of affect showed no added predictive value. Conclusions. These findings may guide parsimonious assessment of the quality of the caregiving environment of young children.

Prenatal tobacco, tobacco-cannabis coexposure, and child emotion regulation: The role of child autonomic functioning and sensitive parenting.

Prenatal tobacco exposure (PTE) and tobacco-cannabis coexposure (PTCE) co-occur with negative maternal emotional functioning (termed prenatal risks) and together increase risk for child regulatory problems at early school age (ESA). Little is known about developmental processes in early childhood that may mediate this association. We examined two hypothesized mediational processes linking prenatal risks to ESA emotion regulation (ER) and lability-negativity; parasympathetic functioning at toddler age and chronic risk reflected by continued postnatal maternal negative emotional functioning (i.e., depression, anger/hostility, and emotion dysregulation) and substance exposure. Congruent with differential susceptibility theory, we examined interactions between sensitive parenting and toddler parasympathetic functioning predicting ESA ER. Finally, we explored the role of child sex as a moderator. Mothers (N = 247; 53% male infants; 51% Black, 31% White, 19% Hispanic, and 8% other or mixed race) were recruited in the first trimester of pregnancy into one of three groups: PTE (n = 81), PTCE (n = 97), and no substance exposure (n = 69) matched on age and education. Substance exposure was assessed using multiple methods, maternal negative emotional functioning via self-reports, parenting with observations, and child ER using teacher, maternal, and lab assessor reports. Results supported a chronic risk pathway with less support for a parasympathetic pathway. Toddlers who demonstrated respiratory sinus arrhythmia withdrawal to frustration were susceptible to the positive context of sensitive parenting in predicting higher ER. Results emphasize the importance of chronicity of postnatal risks including substance exposure and evaluating the differential impact of positive environments for children with substance exposure. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Supplemental Material for Prenatal Tobacco, Tobacco–Cannabis Coexposure, and Child Emotion Regulation: The Role of Child Autonomic Functioning and Sensitive Parenting

Supplemental Material for Prenatal Tobacco, Tobacco–Cannabis Coexposure, and Child Emotion Regulation: The Role of Child Autonomic Functioning and Sensitive Parenting

Precursors and Effects of Self-reported Parental Reflective Functioning: Links to Parental Attachment Representations and Behavioral Sensitivity.

Parental reflective functioning is thought to provide a missing link between caregivers' own attachment histories and their ensuing parenting behaviors. The current study sought to extend research on this association involving 115 parents, both mothers and fathers, of 5-to-6-year-old preschoolers using the German version of the Parental Reflective Functioning Questionnaire (PRFQ). Our study was the first to combine Adult Attachment Interview classifications of parental attachment, behavioral observations of parental sensitivity and PRFQ ratings while drawing on a sizable father subsample. We found theoretically consistent significant relations between all measures, while our results particularly highlighted the role of dismissing attachment for decreases in parenting quality on both cognitive and behavioral levels as the dismissing status differentially affected specific components of self-reported parental reflective functioning and observed sensitivity. Interestingly, these patterns were largely comparable in mothers and fathers. Exploratory mediation analyses further suggested that decreased parental reflective functioning may partially mediate the relationship between parents' dismissing attachment and decreased parental sensitivity. Thus, for prevention and intervention programs targeting parental sensitivity and thus children's long term healthy mental development, the interplay between parental reflective functioning and parents' own attachment history emerges as a key mechanism. Finally, our study served as a further validation of the PRFQ given the caveat that the pre-mentalizing subscale may need further revision in the German version.