Responsive Parenting Behaviors Research Articles

Developmental cascades from maternal preconception stress to child behavior problems: Testing multilevel preconception, prenatal, and postnatal influences.

Although maternal stress during pregnancy and even before conception shapes offspring risk for mental health problems, relatively little is known about the mechanisms through which these associations operate. In theory, preconception and prenatal stress may affect offspring mental health by influencing child responses to postnatal caregiving. To address this knowledge gap, this study had two aims. First, we examined associations between preconception and prenatal stress with child temperament profiles at age four using multilevel assessment of maternal perceived stress and stress physiology. Second, we tested child temperament profiles as moderators of associations between observed parenting behaviors during a parent-child free-play interaction when children were 4 years old and child behavior problems 1 year later. Latent profile analyses yielded four distinct child temperament profiles: inhibited, exuberant, regulated low reactive, and regulated high reactive. Consistent with hypotheses, preconception, and prenatal stress each independently predicted the likelihood of children having temperament profiles characterized by higher negative emotionality and lower regulation. Specifically, preconception perceived stress and prenatal cortisol predicted likelihood of children having an exuberant temperament, whereas prenatal perceived stress predicted likelihood of children having an inhibited temperament. Contrary to hypotheses, temperament profiles did not moderate predictions of child behavior problems from observed parenting behaviors; however, responsive parenting behaviors inversely predicted child behavior problems independently of child temperament. These findings add to growing evidence regarding effects of preconception factors on child outcomes and underscore a central role for responsive parenting behaviors in predicting more favorable child mental health independent of child temperament. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Supporting responsive parenting in real-world implementation: minimal effective dose of the Video Interaction Project.

The Video Interaction Project (VIP) is a healthcare-based intervention that provides real-time video-feedback of parent-child play and reading interactions to families with children aged 0 to 36 months. Although evidence from randomized controlled trials demonstrates improved early relational health, including responsive parenting, after three to five VIP visits, the minimal effective dose in real-world implementations is unknown. This study aimed to determine the minimal effective dose of VIP during a real-world implementation for changing responsive parenting behaviors. We performed a longitudinal prospective study of 183 dyads at a public hospital pediatric clinic. Responsive parenting behaviors were assessed with an observational checklist utilized as part of standard VIP practice at baseline and two follow-up VIP visits. Multilevel models adjusted for baseline sociodemographics (child's sex and age, and maternal education) and time between visits showed that responsive parenting behaviors during parent-child reading and play significantly increased after a single VIP visit (Cohen's d = 0.52, p < 0.05) with additional impact following completion of a second visit (cumulative for 2 visits: d = 0.76, p < 0.05). A single VIP visit is associated with increased responsive parenting behaviors. Findings support offering VIP widely, regardless of capacity to ensure attendance at multiple visits. This is the first study showing the minimal effective dose of the Video Interaction Project (VIP) for increasing responsive parenting behaviors. Responsive parenting behaviors increased by over 22% following a single VIP visit, with a cumulative increase of 37% following the second visit compared to baseline. Findings have important implications for implementation and scalability of pediatric-based preventive programs that support early relational health through activities such as reading and play.

The role of strategy-use and parasympathetic functioning in maternal emotion regulation.

Research has recognized that parental emotion regulation influences whether parents respond sensitively to their children in challenging parenting situations. However, parental emotion regulation is usually assessed using questionnaires that are not about parenting, rather than through examining parents' reaction to specific parenting situations that might evoke negative emotions. This study investigates individual differences in mothers' emotion regulation during parenting, specifically examining the relation between their subjective negative emotions and observed parenting behaviors and whether this relation is moderated by cognitive (strategies to manage negative emotions) and physiological (resting baseline and reactivity of respiratory sinus arrhythmia; RSA) processes. Data of 157 mothers' self-reported negative emotions and strategy-use, their RSA, observed maternal responsiveness, and their preschool-age children's (30-60 months, 49.7% female) challenging behaviors were collected during a Wait Task, in which mothers told children to wait before opening an appealing gift. Regression analysis indicated that, after controlling for how challenging children were, mothers' level of negative emotion was not associated with observed level of maternal responsiveness. In line with hypotheses, the association was moderated by mothers' resting RSA and the extent to which they suppressed negative emotions. However, contrary to hypotheses, the association was not moderated by use of reappraisal, distraction, or rumination, or RSA reactivity. The significant findings suggest that, although mothers' subjective experiences of negative emotions are not necessarily related to less responsive parenting behaviors, the link between maternal emotions and parenting behavior may indicate differences in how mothers engage cognitive strategies as well as their physiological regulation capacity. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Effects of cumulative family risks on school readiness skills: A cross-cultural study between the U.S. and Korea

This study examined the extent to which cumulative family risks at age 1 influenced children's school readiness (i.e., academic and socio-emotional skills) during the transition to school directly or indirectly through maternal parenting stress and responsive parenting behaviors at age 3, using 2 longitudinal data sets, one from the U.S. (the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study) and the other from Korea (the Panel Study on Korean Children). Overall, cumulative family risks (e.g., low family income, mothers’ poor mental health) exerted enduring direct effects on children's school readiness, especially their academic skills in both countries. Furthermore, both countries showed similar negative cascading processes by which cumulative family risks negatively influenced both domains of school readiness skills through increased maternal parenting stress. Similarly, cumulative family risks decreased maternal responsive parenting, which then led to poor academic skills in both countries. Some variations between the 2 countries were also observed; the double mediating path through maternal parenting stress and responsive parenting behaviors to academic skills were significant for Korean children only. Moreover, the direct effects of cumulative family risks and maternal responsive parenting on children's socio-emotional skills were significant for U.S. children only, suggesting culture specific processes. The finding that maternal parenting stress was a common mediator suggests that targeting mothers’ parenting stress could be an effective way to promote children's school readiness in both countries, especially for those with multiple family risks.

Measurement of parental executive function in early childhood settings: Instrument reliability and validity in community-led research projects.

A growing number of early childhood (EC) parenting programs target adult executive function (EF) to build responsive parenting behaviors and to promote positive child development. Although measurement of EF is well understood in academic research, little work has examined EF measurement in community settings. The present study examined psychometric properties of the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function-Adult Version among 203 parents whose children were enrolled in EC programs serving under-resourced communities. We calculated Cronbach's α and mean-item correlations to test internal consistency reliability. To test factor structure, we conducted exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analyses. Results suggest adequate internal consistency and that factor structures, beyond the original proposed, are appropriate for our community sample. Together, findings indicate that self-report measures of adult EF may perform differently for families experiencing adversity, raising questions about the acceptability of clinical EF tools in in underserved communities.

Responsive Parenting Buffers the Impact of Maternal PTSD on Young Children

SYNOPSISObjective. This study investigates maternal responsive parenting behaviors as a theorized buffer to the detrimental impact of maternal PTSD symptoms on young children’s depression and anxiety symptoms, disruptive behavior, and stress-related symptoms. Design. A multi-ethnic sample of 242 trauma-exposed mothers and their preschool-aged children was assessed. Maternal responsive parenting behaviors were observed during standardized parent-child interactions. Maternal and child mental health symptoms were reported by mothers. Results. Maternal PTSD symptoms were associated with their responsive parenting behaviors and predicted children’s mental health symptoms. Responsive parenting was inversely associated with children’s depression and stress-related symptoms. Moderation analyses revealed an interactive effect of maternal symptoms and responsive parenting on preschool children’s disruptive behavior and stress-related symptoms. Conclusions. Responsive parenting behaviors can mitigate the ill effects of maternal PTSD symptoms. Nurturing relationships buffer the impact of maternal PTSD. Helping parents’ to sensitively respond to their young children’s distress can support positive outcomes in children.

Ecological momentary assessment of using food to soothe during infancy in the INSIGHT trial

BackgroundUse of food to soothe infant distress has been linked to greater weight in observational studies. We used ecological momentary assessment to capture detailed patterns of food to soothe and evaluate if a responsive parenting intervention reduced parents’ use of food to soothe.MethodsPrimiparous mother-newborn dyads were randomized to a responsive parenting intervention designed for obesity prevention or a safety control group. Responsive parenting curriculum included guidance on using alternative soothing strategies (e.g., swaddling), rather than feeding, as the first response to infant fussiness. After the initial intervention visit 3 weeks after delivery, mothers (n = 157) were surveyed for two 5–8 day bursts at infant ages 3 and 8 weeks. Surveys were sent via text message every 4 h between 10:00 AM-10:00 PM, with 2 surveys sent at 8:00 AM asking about nighttime hours. Infant fusses and feeds were reported for each 4-h interval. Food to soothe was defined as “Fed First” and “Not Fed First” in response to a fussy event. Use of food to soothe was modeled using random-intercept logistic regression.ResultsThe control group had greater odds of having Fed First, compared to the responsive parenting group at ages 3 and 8 weeks (3 weeks: OR = 1.9; 95% CI = 1.4–2.7; p < 0.01; 8 weeks: OR = 1.4; 95% CI = 1.0–2.1; p = 0.053). More responsive parenting mothers reported using a responsive parenting intervention strategy first, before feeding, than controls at ages 3 and 8 weeks (3 weeks: 58.1% vs. 41.9%; 8 weeks: 57.1% vs. 42.9%, respectively; p < 0.01 for both). At both ages combined, fewer fusses from responsive parenting infants were soothed best by feeding compared to controls (49.5% vs. 61.0%, respectively; p < 0.01). For both study groups combined, parents had greater odds of having Fed First during the nighttime compared to the daytime at both ages (3 weeks: OR = 1.6, 95% CI = 1.4–1.8; p < 0.01; 8 weeks: OR = 2.1; 95% CI = 1.7–2.6; p < 0.01).ConclusionsINSIGHT’s responsive parenting intervention reduced use of food to soothe and increased use of alternative soothing strategies in response to infant fussiness. Education on responsive parenting behaviors around fussing and feeding during early infancy has the potential to improve later self-regulation and weight gain trajectory.Trial registrationNCT01167270. Registered July 21, 2010.

Re-examining the "cycle of abuse": Parenting determinants among previously maltreated, low-income mothers.

Multidomain approaches toward understanding the transmission of harsh caregiving across generations have been largely overlooked in the literature. To address this, the current study examined how maternal and child factors may operate as mediating mechanisms in the association between maternal history of child maltreatment and maternal caregiving behaviors. In particular, we tested the relative roles of maternal depression, maternal efficacy beliefs, and child behavioral difficulties as explanatory variables in these associations. Participants (N = 127) were drawn from a community sample of mother-child dyads from socioeconomically disadvantaged, ethnically diverse backgrounds. Mother-child dyads were assessed at baseline, when the children were approximately 12 months old, with follow-up visits occurring when children were 26 and 37 months of age. Findings did not support a significant direct effect of childhood maltreatment on mothers' subsequent harsh or responsive parenting behavior. However, analyses demonstrated a significant indirect effect of childhood maltreatment history on later responsive parenting behaviors via maternal depression. Results also supported a significant indirect effect of childhood maltreatment history on later harsh parenting behavior through child behavior problems. Although mothers' childhood maltreatment history significantly predicted lower levels of maternal efficacy, results did not support a mediating role of maternal efficacy beliefs in the association between maltreatment history and subsequent parenting behaviors. Identifying specific factors that potentially disrupt the intergenerational pattern of maladaptive parenting can serve to guide prevention and intervention efforts aimed at facilitating more positive, responsive parenting strategies within high-risk families. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Cost‐Effectiveness of Early Childhood Interventions to Enhance Preschool: Evidence from a Randomized Experiment in Head Start Centers Enrolling Historically Underserved Populations

AbstractWe evaluate the cost‐effectiveness of two early childhood interventions that use instructional coaching and parent coaching as levers for improvement. The study design allows us to compare the individual effects of each intervention as well as their combined effect on student outcomes. We find that teachers receiving instructional coaching improve their use of evidence‐based instructional practices, while families receiving parent coaching show increases in numerous responsive parenting behaviors associated with positive child outcomes. Both interventions demonstrate positive impacts on students, but only parent coaching shows statistically significant effects across a range of student outcomes. Instructional coaching alone is substantially less costly and may therefore be the most cost‐effective of the three treatment conditions; however, small sample sizes limit our ability to reach definitive conclusions. Policy simulations suggest that implementing these interventions could raise the overall cost‐effectiveness of Head Start by at least 16 percent.

The mediational roles of harsh and responsive parenting in the longitudinal relations between socioeconomic status and Turkish children’s emotional development

This study examined the associations among the socioeconomic status (SES) of Turkish families when children (N = 340, Mean age = 83 months, SD = 3.59, 50.3% boys) were approximately 7 years of age (Time 1) and their emotional lability and emotion regulation tendencies 3 years later (Time 3). We also examined the mediating roles of mothers’ harsh and responsive parenting behaviors when children were 9 years of age (Time 2). Results revealed that family SES was positively linked to parental responsiveness and negatively linked to harsh parenting; harsh parenting was positively linked to children’s emotion lability and negatively linked to children’s emotion regulation (after controlling for prior levels of emotion regulation and emotional lability at Time 2). Further, harsh parenting significantly mediated the associations between family SES and children’s emotional lability and emotion regulation tendencies. The pattern of associations did not vary by child gender or community (e.g., Istanbul, Ankara, Bolu) in Turkey. The findings highlight the interplay among family SES, maternal parenting behaviors, and children’s self-regulation outcomes in a non-Western, collectivist society.

The Parent University Program: Factors predicting change in responsive parenting behaviors

Few evidence-based parenting programs exist for children under the age of three and even fewer have been rigorously evaluated in comparison to parenting programs for older children. The Parent University Program (PUP), was developed to serve parents with children birth through three who lived in southwest Baltimore. Parent-child dyads (N=86) participated in the parenting program with the goal of increasing responsive parenting skills.Participants of the PUP showed a significant increase in responsive parenting behaviors. Participants in this open trial study who completed pre-test, post-test, and follow-up assessments showed a significant change from clinical to non-clinical status after attending the PUP. Neither the type of facilitator nor the number of hours attended showed an association with changing parenting behaviors. The age of the child was associated with the change in responsive parenting. Parents of older children in the birth to three age range had higher scores at pre-test and showed less change over time. The results of this study suggest that the Parent University Program was associated with positive change in responsive parenting behaviors for parents with children birth through three years of age.

Influence of social factors on the relation between lie-telling and children’s cognitive abilities

Lie-telling may be part of a normative developmental process for children. However, little is known about the complex interaction of social and cognitive factors related to this developmental behavior. The current study examined parenting style, maternal exposure to stressors, and children’s cognitive abilities in relation to children’s antisocial lie-telling behavior in an experimental setting. Children (3–6years, N=157) participated in a modified temptation resistance paradigm to elicit spontaneous lies. Results indicate that high authoritative parenting and high inhibitory control interact to predict a lower propensity to lie, but those who did lie had better semantic leakage control. This suggests that although children’s lie-telling may be normative during early development, the relation to children’s cognitive abilities can be moderated by responsive parenting behaviors that discourage lying.

Parent training and joint engagement in young children with autism spectrum disorder

Children are diagnosed at increasingly earlier ages with autism spectrum disorder, characterized by diminished levels of social orienting and engagement. Parent-mediated interventions incorporating the use of responsive parent behaviors have shown promise for use with young children with autism spectrum disorder to increase a variety of social-communication behaviors. This study examined the manner in which parents acquired and used a set of responsive parenting techniques with their young children with fidelity and investigated the associations of fidelity use of these techniques with changes in child joint engagement outcomes. Although parents began the training phase demonstrating low levels of responsive parenting behaviors, they acquired and implemented a specific set of responsive parent techniques with their children with ongoing fidelity, and the use of these techniques was collaterally associated with increased levels of joint engagement in two of the three participant children. Implications for ...

The Agreement between Parent-Reported and Directly Measured Child Language and Parenting Behaviors.

Parenting behaviors are commonly targeted in early interventions to improve children’s language development. Accurate measurement of both parenting behaviors and children’s language outcomes is thus crucial for sensitive assessment of intervention outcomes. To date, only a small number of studies have compared parent-reported and directly measured behaviors, and these have been hampered by small sample sizes and inaccurate statistical techniques, such as correlations. The Bland–Altman Method and Reduced Major Axis regression represent more reliable alternatives because they allow us to quantify fixed and proportional bias between measures. In this study, we draw on data from two Australian early childhood cohorts (N = 201 parents and slow-to-talk toddlers aged 24 months; and N = 218 parents and children aged 6–36 months experiencing social adversity) to (1) examine agreement and quantify bias between parent-reported and direct measures, and (2) to determine socio-demographic predictors of the differences between parent-reported and direct measures. Measures of child language and parenting behaviors were collected from parents and their children. Our findings support the utility of the Bland–Altman Method and Reduced Major Axis regression in comparing measurement methods. Results indicated stronger agreement between parent-reported and directly measured child language, and poorer agreement between measures of parenting behaviors. Child age was associated with difference scores for child language; however, the direction varied for each cohort. Parents who rated their child’s temperament as more difficult tended to report lower language scores on the parent questionnaire, compared to the directly measured scores. Older parents tended to report lower parenting responsiveness on the parent questionnaire, compared to directly measured scores. Finally, speaking a language other than English was associated with less responsive parenting behaviors on the videotaped observation compared to the parent questionnaire. Variation in patterns of agreement across the distribution of scores highlighted the importance of assessing agreement comprehensively, providing strong evidence that simple correlations are grossly insufficient for method comparisons. We discuss implications for researchers and clinicians, including guidance for measurement selection, and the potential to reduce financial and time-related expenses and improve data quality. Further research is required to determine whether findings described here are reflected in more representative populations.

Primary Care Parenting Intervention and Its Effects on the Use of Physical Punishment Among Low-Income Parents of Toddlers.

As part of a large randomized controlled trial, the authors assessed the impact of 2 early primary care parenting interventions-the Video Interaction Project (VIP) and Building Blocks (BB)-on the use of physical punishment among low-income parents of toddlers. They also determined whether the impact was mediated through increases in responsive parenting and decreases in maternal psychosocial risk. Four hundred thirty-eight mother-child dyads (161 VIP, 113 BB, 164 Control) were assessed when the children were 14 and/or 24 months old. Mothers were asked about their use of physical punishment and their responsive parenting behaviors, depressive symptoms, and parenting stress. The VIP was associated with lower physical punishment scores at 24 months, as compared to BB and controls. In addition, fewer VIP parents reported ever using physical punishment as a disciplinary strategy. Significant indirect effects were found for both responsive parenting and maternal psychosocial risk, indicating that the VIP affects these behaviors and risk factors, and that this is an important pathway through which the VIP affects the parents' use of physical punishment. The results support the efficacy of the VIP and the role of pediatric primary care, in reducing the use of physical punishment among low-income families by enhancing parent-child relationships. In this way, the findings support the potential of the VIP to improve developmental outcomes for at-risk children.

Parenting and coregulation: Adaptive systems for competence in children experiencing homelessness.

The role of effective parenting in promoting child executive functioning and school success was examined among 138 children (age 4 to 6 years) staying in family emergency shelters the summer before kindergarten or 1st grade. Parent-child coregulation, which refers to relationship processes wherein parents guide and respond to the behavior of their children, was observed during structured interaction tasks and quantified as a dyadic construct using state space grid methodology. Positive coregulation was related to children's executive functioning and IQ, which in turn were related to teacher-reported outcomes once school began. Separate models considering parenting behavior demonstrated that executive function carried indirect effects of parents' directive control to school outcomes. Meanwhile, responsive parenting behaviors directly predicted children's peer acceptance at school beyond effects of executive function and IQ. Findings support theory and past research in developmental science, indicating the importance of effective parenting in shaping positive adaptive skills among children who overcome adversity, in part through processes of coregulation.

Observed parental responsiveness/warmth and children's coping: cross-sectional and prospective relations in a family depression preventive intervention.

The current study examined concurrent and prospective relations between observed parenting behaviors and children's coping strategies in the context of a preventive intervention designed to change both parenting and children's use of secondary control coping. Questionnaires and direct observations were obtained from parents with a history of depression (N = 180) and their children (ages 9-15 years) at baseline, 6-month (after completion of the intervention), and 18-month follow-up assessments. Cross-sectional analyses indicate that baseline observed parental responsiveness/warmth was significantly associated with composite parent/child reports of children's baseline primary control, secondary control, and disengagement coping. Using a mixed effects model, prospective mediational analyses indicate that intervention-driven improvements in observed parental responsiveness/warmth from baseline to 6 months significantly accounted for increases in children's use of secondary control coping strategies from baseline to the 18-month follow-up assessment. No significant mediation effects emerged for primary control coping or disengagement coping. The present findings suggest that it may be possible to improve children's coping strategies not only through targeted interventions, but also indirectly by improving responsive and warm parenting behaviors. Limitations and strengths are noted and implications for future research are outlined.

Longitudinal mediators of social problem solving in spina bifida and typical development.

The current study examined the role of early executive functions (EF) and social language (SL) as well as responsive parenting as mediators of the effect of group on social problem-solving skills at 7 years of age for children with spina bifida and typically developing children. A mediation analysis was used to determine if the effect of having spina bifida on school age social problem-solving skills was mediated through the effect of group on EF/SL at 3 years of age and responsive parenting at 12 and 18 months. As part of a larger longitudinal study, 103 infants (n = 49 with spina bifida; n = 54 typically developing) received measures of EF/SL at 3 years of age and mother-infant play interactions at 12 and 18 months of age were coded for a range of responsive parenting behaviors. Social problem-solving skills were measured with a game-like observational task at 7 years of age. Group had a direct relation with later social problem-solving as well as an indirect relation through early EF/SL skills that, in turn, had a direct relation with later social problem solving. An indirect effect of responsive parenting on later social skills also was found through a direct effect on EF/SL skills. Early precursors of school age difficulties with social problem solving observed for children with spina bifida can be explained, in part, by difficulties in the first 3 years of life with EF/SL. Early responsive parenting appears to positively affect the development of these EF/SL skills. Implications for early intervention are an outcome of this study.

Predictors of Boys’ ADHD Symptoms from Early to Middle Childhood: The Role of Father–Child and Mother–Child Interactions

This prospective 3 year longitudinal study investigated preschool paternal and maternal parenting predictors of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder(ADHD) in a community sample of 93 school-age boys. Participants were recruited on the basis of inattention-hyperactivity at age 4 and fathers and mothers were observed interacting with their sons. Teachers, fathers, and mothers reported children's ADHD symptoms and impairment. Results from dimensional analysis showed that less observed paternal sensitivity and maternal positive regard predicted higher levels of inattentiveness in middle childhood, and that intrusive paternal behavior was predictive of hyperactive-impulsive behavior at school. In categorical analysis, less maternal warmth and sensitivity were predictive of later ADHD. These predictions held after statistical adjustment for the effects of preschool ADHD behaviors and conduct problems. At follow-up, parents of boys with ADHD reported more negative child-parent relationship perceptions than comparison parents. Findings highlight the importance of examining responsive parenting behaviors of both fathers and mothers in relation to multi-informant ratings of ADHD symptoms.

Responsive Feeding Is Embedded in a Theoretical Framework of Responsive Parenting1–3

Children throughout the world are confronted with growth problems ranging from underweight and stunting to overweight and obesity. The development of healthy eating behaviors depends on both healthy food and responsive parenting behaviors. With origins from anthropology, psychology, and nutrition, responsive parenting reflects reciprocity between child and caregiver, conceptualized as a 4-step mutually responsive process: 1) the caregiver creates a routine, structure, expectations, and emotional context that promote interaction; 2) the child responds and signals to the caregiver; 3) the caregiver responds promptly in a manner that is emotionally supportive, contingent, and developmentally appropriate; and 4) the child experiences predictable responses. This paper examines evidence for the practice and developmental benefits of responsive parenting with a view to providing a theoretical basis for responsive feeding. Recommendations are made that future efforts to promote healthy growth and to prevent underweight and overweight among young children incorporate and evaluate responsive feeding.