Positive Parent-child Interactions Research Articles

Evaluation of a game-based parent education intervention to increase positive parent–child interactions in parents with learning difficulties.

Children of parents with learning difficulties (LD) are at risk for a variety of developmental problems including behavioral and psychiatric disorders. However, there are no empirically supported programs to prevent or reduce these problems in such children. The purpose of this study was to test the

Mediators and Treatment Factors in Intervention for Children Exposed to Interparental Violence

Changes in children's emotion differentiation, coping skills, parenting stress, parental psychopathology, and parent–child interaction were explored as mediators of treatment factors in two selective preventive group interventions for children exposed to interparental violence (IPV) and their parents. One hundred thirty-four IPV-exposed children (ages 6–12 years, 52% boys) and their parents were randomized to an IPV-focused or common factors community-based group intervention and completed baseline, posttest, and follow-up assessments for posttraumatic stress (PTS). A multilevel model tested mediators that included children's ability to differentiate emotions and coping skills, parenting stress, parental psychopathology, and parent–child interactions. In both conditions, exposure to nonspecific factors, specific factors unrelated to IPV and trauma-specific intervention factors was coded from videotaped child and parent sessions. Improved parental mental health mediated the link between greater exposure to nonspecific treatment factors and decreases in PTS symptoms. In addition, an increase in emotion differentiation and a decrease in parenting stress were associated with a decrease in PTS symptoms. Greater exposure to trauma-specific factors in child sessions was associated with a small decrease in emotion differentiation, an increase in coping skills, and a decrease in PTS symptoms over time. Greater exposure to nonspecific treatment factors in child and parent sessions was associated with more positive parent–child interaction. Parental mental health appears to be an important mechanism of change that can be promoted through exposure to nonspecific factors in parent intervention. For children, the effect of greater exposure to trauma-specific factors in intervention is less clear and may not have clear benefits.

Academic outcomes of very low birth weight infants: the influence of mother-child relationships.

It is commonly accepted that parent-child interactions are bidirectional and complex and are influenced by many different factors. The current study examined the academic and behavioral skills in the early elementary years of preterm infants and the influence of their early mother-child interactions on these skills. Using a sample of 21 premature infants and their mothers, this study found that positive early interactions during feeding were related to later mutual enjoyment during a teaching task at school age, but early maternal depression was not. Early risk factors of premature infants, specifically the number of days spent on a ventilator, were positively related to maternal perceptions of hassle associated with feeding and negatively related to maternal sensitivity during feeding. Finally, mutual enjoyment was strongly associated with language, cognitive, and behavioral skills at school age. These results suggest that it is not only the infant risk factors following a premature birth that influence later development but also the parent-child relationship and emphasize the importance of understanding and promoting these early positive parent-child interactions for premature infants.

Enhancing positive parent–child interactions and family functioning in a poverty sample: a randomized control trial

This study tested the attachment-based intervention program Video-feedback Intervention to promote Positive Parenting and Sensitive Discipline (VIPP-SD) in a randomized controlled trial with poor families of toddlers screened for professional’s concerns about the child’s caregiving environment. The VIPP-SD is an evidence-based intervention, but has not yet been tested in the context of poverty. The sample included 43 families with 1- to 4-year-old children: mean age at the pretest was 29 months and 51% were boys. At the pretest and posttest, mother–child interactions were observed at home, and mothers reported on family functioning. The VIPP-SD proved to be effective in enhancing positive parent–child interactions and positive family relations in a severely deprived context. Results are discussed in terms of implications for support services provided to such poor families in order to reduce intergenerational risk transmission.

Effects of kangaroo mother care on maternal mood and interaction patterns between parents and their preterm, low birth weight infants: a systematic review.

The birth of a premature infant can have adverse effects on the mood of mothers and on the interaction patterns between parents and their preterm babies. The aim of the present systematic review was to examine whether the Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) intervention can attenuate these adverse psychological effects of a premature birth by ameliorating negative maternal mood and/or promoting more positive interactions between preterm infants and their parents. The results showed that although findings of studies were inconclusive, there is some evidence to suggest that KMC can make a positive difference on these areas. Specifically, it was found that KMC can improve negative maternal mood (e.g., anxiety or depression) and promote more positive parent-child interactions. Limitations and directions for future research are discussed.

Bidirectional associations between parental warmth, callous unemotional behavior, and behavior problems in high-risk preschoolers.

Research suggests that parental warmth and positive parent-child interactions predict thedevelopment of conscience and empathy. Recent studies suggest that affective dimensions of parenting, including parental warmth, are associated with fewer behavior problems among children with high levels of callous-unemotional (CU) behavior. Evidence also suggests that CU behavior confers risk for behavior problems by uniquely shaping parenting. The current study examines reciprocal associations between parental warmth, CU behavior, and behavior problems among toddlers. Data from mother-child dyads (N = 731; 49% female) were collected from a multi-ethnic, high-risk sample at ages 2 and 3. CU behavior was assessed using a previously validated measure (Hyde et al. 2013). Models were tested using two measures of parental warmth, the first from direct observations of warmth in the home, the second coded from 5-min speech samples. Three-way cross-lagged, simultaneous effects models showed that parental warmth predicted child CU behavior, over and above associations with behavior problems. There were cross-lagged associations between directly observed parental warmth and child CU behavior, suggesting these behaviors show some malleability during toddlerhood and that parenting appears to reflect some adaptation to child behavior. The results have implications for models of early-starting behavior problems and preventative interventions for young children.

G187 Baby diaries: a tool to improve parental communication in the neonatal unit

AimWe sought to assess whether the implementation of a baby diary as a communication tool would improve parent-staff communication and optimise the parental experience of neonatal care.MethodsIn this study, parents...

Speeding the Translation of Research into Evidence‐Based Practice and Conducting Projects That Impact Healthcare Quality, Patient Outcomes and Costs: The “So What” Outcome Factors

Speeding the Translation of Research into Evidence‐Based Practice and Conducting Projects That Impact Healthcare Quality, Patient Outcomes and Costs: The “So What” Outcome Factors

Supportive family contexts: promoting child well-being and resilience

Prevention and intervention programmes for children at risk aim to improve child well-being and resilience. They do so using both direct and indirect strategies, intervening with children but also considering broader contextual factors (such as family dynamics). Children's subjective well-being comprises five main components (physical health, mental health, self-regulation, social competence, and cognitive competence) and is predicted by person, relationship, and contextual factors. Children's resilience, or ability to beat the odds under adverse conditions, is predicted by similar protective factors. Family well-being (FWB) is one of the strongest and most consistent predictors of child well-being and resilience. Aspects of FWB (including adult health and well-being, family self-sufficiency, and family resiliency) have been shown to impact child well-being through positive parent–child interactions. However, risk factors (including poverty and living in geographic locales with limited resources or high levels of neighbourhood violence) can threaten both family and child well-being. Strategies are offered for promoting FWB as a means of supporting resilience and well-being in children at risk for violence, abuse, or neglect.

Home-Based Parent-Child Therapy in Low-Income African American, Caucasian, and Latino Families: A Comparative Examination of Treatment Outcomes

This study examined parent and child treatment outcomes for a home-based Parent-Child Therapy (PCT) program for 66 children from families living in poverty. African American, Caucasian, and Latino families were examined to determine if an evidence-based program would produce similar results across different ethnic groups. The results showed that caregivers across the three ethnic groups reported improved child challenging behavior, increased positive parent-child interactions, improved parental expectations, higher levels of nurturing, and less reliance on verbal and corporal punishment as a form of discipline. Practical implications for these results are discussed.

The relation of parent–child interaction qualities to social skills in children with and without autism spectrum disorders

This study examined associations between parent-child interactions and the development of social skills in 42 children (21 typically developing and 21 with autism spectrum disorders) between the ages of 3 years, 0 months and 6 years, 11 months. We expected that positive parent-child interaction qualities would be related to children's social skills and would mediate the negative relation between children's developmental status (typical development vs autism spectrum disorders) and social skills. Videotapes of parents and children during a 5-min wordless book task were coded for parent positive affect and emotional support as well as parent-child cohesiveness. Emotional support and cohesiveness were significantly related to children's social skills, such that higher emotional support and cohesiveness were associated with higher social skills, R (2) = .29, p = .02, and R (2) = .38, p = .002, respectively. Additionally, cohesiveness mediated the relation between children's developmental status and social skills. These findings suggest that parent emotional support and cohesiveness between parents and children positively influence children's social skills. Parent positive affect was unrelated to social skills. Implications of these findings for social skills interventions are discussed, particularly for young children with autism spectrum disorders.

Turkish Validation of the PICCOLO (Parenting Interactions with Children: Checklist of Observations Linked to Outcomes)

ABSTRACTEarly positive parent–child interactions are important for child development. Intervention research focused on increasing positive parent–child interactions has demonstrated increases in desired parenting behaviors and improvements in child outcomes. Parent–child interaction research in Turkey has been limited because of the need for reliable and valid measures of parent–child interaction. The aim of this study was to explore the validity and reliability of a Turkish version of a psychometrically strong measure of parent–child interaction that was developed in the United States: the Parenting Interactions with Children: Checklist of Observations Linked to Outcomes (PICCOLO). Mother–child interactions during a free‐play situation were scored using the Turkish translation of the PICCOLO. The Turkish PICCOLO demonstrated good reliability and validity; as good as that demonstrated in the original English‐language PICCOLO psychometric study. The Turkish PICCOLO meets the criteria established for a tool that will facilitate parent–child interaction research in Turkeyand appears to be practical and functional in evaluating the quality of parent–child interaction.

A Longitudinal Examination of the Adaptation to Poverty-Related Stress Model: Predicting Child and Adolescent Adjustment Over Time

This study tests key tenets of the Adaptation to Poverty-related Stress Model. This model (Wadsworth, Raviv, Santiago, & Etter, 2011) builds on Conger and Elder's family stress model by proposing that primary control coping and secondary control coping can help reduce the negative effects of economic strain on parental behaviors central to the family stress model, namely, parental depressive symptoms and parent–child interactions, which together can decrease child internalizing and externalizing problems. Two hundred seventy-five coparenting couples with children between the ages of 1 and 18 participated in an evaluation of a brief family strengthening intervention, aimed at preventing economic strain's negative cascade of influence on parents, and ultimately their children. The longitudinal path model, analyzed at the couple dyad level with mothers and fathers nested within couple, showed very good fit, and was not moderated by child gender or ethnicity. Analyses revealed direct positive effects of primary control coping and secondary control coping on mothers' and fathers' depressive symptoms. Decreased economic strain predicted more positive father–child interactions, whereas increased secondary control coping predicted less negative mother–child interactions. Positive parent–child interactions, along with decreased parent depression and economic strain, predicted child internalizing and externalizing over the course of 18 months. Multiple-group models analyzed separately by parent gender revealed, however, that child age moderated father effects. Findings provide support for the adaptation to poverty-related stress model and suggest that prevention and clinical interventions for families affected by poverty-related stress may be strengthened by including modules that address economic strain and efficacious strategies for coping with strain.

Children's books as a brief intervention for parents with depressive symptoms and parenting stress

Background: To determine whether children’s books illustrating positive parent-child interactions could serve as a brief intervention for parents with young children and to measure its impact on parenting stress. Methods: Sets of 3 children’s books with parenting content were given to families to take home after 1 of the books was read aloud in the exam room while waiting for the pediatrician. Parenting stress was measured at baseline and 1 month later. Multivariable logistic regression was performed to determine the intervention’s effect on parenting stress, adjusting for socio-demographic characteristics, parental depression and health literacy status. Results: 56 parents with 18-48 month old children participated in this pilot study. Mean total parenting stress scores did not change (baseline 68.7, 95% CI: 65.5-76.1; 1 month 70.8, 95% CI: 65.5-76.1). However, when scores were stratified by depressive status, parents with moderate to severe depression reported a reduction of parenting stress to below clinically significant levels (baseline 94.6, 95% CI: 70.0-119.2; 1 month 81.3, 95% CI: 56.2-106.3). Regression analysis showed parents with depressive symptoms were more likely to report a decrease in total parenting stress 1 month after the intervention (AOR: 6.3; 95% CI: 1.2-31.8), even after adjusting for socio-demographic characteristics, parental depression and health literacy status. Conclusions: Children’s books with parenting content may be a suitable brief primary care-based intervention, especially for parents with depressive symptoms. Our findings warrant future studies with larger sample sizes to understand the effect size of this intervention.

The Holding Hands Project: effectiveness in promoting positive parent–child interactions

It is now generally accepted that training parents can be effective in supporting children with behaviour difficulties and given the current climate of decreasing resources there is a strong case for evaluating effectiveness. This study evaluated the effectiveness of a significantly modified version of the standard clinic-based Parent–Child Interaction Therapy (S-PCIT) programme, referred to as the Holding Hands Project. Thirty parents and their children were assessed at pre- and post-intervention, and of these a total of 25 parents were also assessed at two month follow-up. A significant trend towards a positive development in all of the areas explored was found. Furthermore, an overall significant change in observed children’s behaviour was found between pre-intervention to follow-up. This study adds to the growing evidence that a well-established clinical programme such as S-PCIT can produce positive outcomes even when it has been significantly modified and “transported” to a UK community setting.

Fostering Healthy Attachment Between Substance Dependent Parents and Their Infant Children

Infants of parents with substance abuse problems enter foster care at a higher rate than infants of nonabusing parents and are at a higher risk for attachment problems and child maltreatment. The current study evaluates the impact of a 10-week infant massage intervention designed to increase attachment between parents in a drug rehabilitation facility and their infants. The program focuses on parental awareness of infant's internal states, the development of skills for self-regulation of affect, the calming of their child, and the development of a capacity for sustained positive parent-child interaction so that parents can become more available in the psychological space and time they spend with their infant children. Parent participants, interviewed before and after the intervention, completed a demographic and program evaluation survey, as well as standardized measures of parent knowledge of child development, parenting stress, and depression. Results indicate trends towards decreased parental stress, increased knowledge of good parenting practices, better relatedness between parent and infant, and improved parenting self-efficacy, suggesting that attachment interventions with substance dependent parents may have substantial benefits for the parent-child relationship as well as the mental health functioning of parent and child.

Psychological Distress Experienced by Parents of Young Children With Congenital Heart Defects: A Comprehensive Review of Literature

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to examine the existing research on the psychological distress experienced by parents whose young children (between the ages of 0 and 5 years old) have a congenital heart defect (CHD). A more detailed understanding of the distress experienced by these parents, including stress associated with the child's age, the severity of the child's diagnosis, and parent characteristics, is vital as it would allow for more targeted and individualized support for this population to enhance parental coping strategies and increase the likelihood of more positive parent–child interactions. This review of 25 studies contributes to the parenting stress literature by focusing on parents of young children and categorizing studies by publication characteristics, research methodology, and findings. The research clearly demonstrates that parents report a great deal of stress throughout the continuum of their child's health care experience. Recommendations for future research and practice implications, such as developing a stress vulnerability model specific to parenting children with CHD, clarifying the role between interdisciplinary team members regarding provision of psychosocial support to parents, and referring parents to specific community-based ongoing social support services, are presented.

Parent needs and family support service outcomes in a Canadian sample

• Summary: Parent support needs and family support service (FSS) outcomes were investigated. A total of 923 parent participants were recruited through 20 community-based FSS providers in Alberta, Canada. Participants completed a survey, incorporating well validated child, parent and family outcome measures, a minimum of 8–12 weeks after utilizing their FSS. • Findings: Overall, parent need satisfaction was high. However, low socio-economic status, English as a second language, parental disability or chronic health condition, and child disability or chronic health condition were associated with lower levels of parent need satisfaction. Higher levels of need satisfaction were linked to lower levels of parenting stress and more positive parent–child interactions. These, in turn, were linked to more positive family functioning and fewer child difficulties. • Applications: Mediation analysis and qualitative findings suggest that family support services are making a positive difference by creating points of ‘connection’, including opportunities for informal learning and peer-support. We argue that the informal, ‘social networking’ role of family support services should be valued alongside evidence-based parenting training programs.

Father-child and mother-child interaction in families with a child feeding disorder: The role of paternal involvement.

To date, research about feeding disorder (FD) has focused almost exclusively on the mother-child dyad, ignoring fathers' roles. The current study investigated father-child interactions with children having FD. The sample consisted of 67 children (1-3 years old) and their mothers and fathers. Thirty-four children, diagnosed with a nonorganic-based FD (FD group) and 33 children without an FD (control group) were matched for age, gender, birth order, and maternal education. Data were collected during home visits. Mothers were interviewed about their and the father's involvement in childcare. In addition, mother-child and father-child interactions were videotaped during play and feeding. Both mothers and fathers from the FD group experienced less positive parent-child interactions than did parents in the control group. Furthermore, mothers in the FD group reported greater maternal versus paternal childcare involvement than did control group mothers. Finally, FD group mothers exhibited more parental sensitivity than did fathers during feeing interactions; however, this difference was observed only when coupled with low paternal involvement. In families where fathers were highly involved, no difference was evident in paternal and maternal sensitivity. These findings highlight the importance of fathers' involvement, especially in families with children exhibiting an FD.

A Pilot Study on the Impact of a Home-based Parenting Intervention: Parents Plus

This article reports on a pilot study undertaken in order to explore the impact of a home-based parenting intervention (Parents Plus), on parents and families. Parents Plus is part of a Welsh Early Years strategy called Flying Start and aims to promote positive parent–child interactions. This article explores the medium-term to long-term impact of the intervention. One hundred and ninety-seven families who received the intervention between 2000 and 2007 were sent letters advising they would be telephoned to take part in a survey about their perceptions of Parents Plus, and were given the choice to opt out of the research. A total of 21 mothers participated in a short telephone survey, and six mothers participated in in-depth interviews that explored changes in family life in more detail. Interviews were transcribed and analysed using thematic content analysis. The results showed that the intervention had a dual impact: practical tips and techniques to help manage behaviour, and emotional support for mothers. The article presents in diagrammatic form mothers' reported changing experiences and attitudes towards their need for help and their esteem as parents through the intervention period.