Socioemotional Development Research Articles

Parental Warmth of Non-Offending Primary Caregiving Fathers Rearing Children in the U.S. Child Welfare System: Associations with Children’s Socioemotional Development

Parental Warmth of Non-Offending Primary Caregiving Fathers Rearing Children in the U.S. Child Welfare System: Associations with Children’s Socioemotional Development

Validation of the Coping with Children’s Negative Emotions Scale Adapted to the Early Childhood Education and Care Context

ABSTRACT Research Findings: The Coping with Children’s Negative Emotions Scale (CCNES) is a self-report instrument developed to measure parents’ emotion socialization with their children. This study examined the factorial and convergent validity of a short version of the CCNES adapted for the early childhood education and care (ECEC) context. Using exploratory factor analysis with responses from 490 ECEC-workers from the Oslo Early Education Study, our results revealed a three-factor structure of the CCNES, including emotion dismissing, emotion coaching, and emotion distracting. Model specifications were conducted in half the sample and cross-validated in the other half. ECEC-workers’ coaching and distracting correlated positively with each other and with their reports of supportive scaffolding practices and self-efficacy in supporting children’s socioemotional development. Dismissing correlated negatively with these measures. Practice and Policy. Our results indicate that this ECEC version of the CCNES is a valid instrument to assess ECEC-workers’ emotion socialization strategies in interactions with children and to support the use of distracting as a separate strategy. This instrument enables us to extend our knowledge of teacher–child interaction quality in ECEC by examining associations with children’s development. The CCNES could also form the baseline for discussions and reflections about ECEC-workers’ professional roles and development.

Rates of socio-emotional difficulties among deaf and hard of hearing children in Ireland

ABSTRACT Higher rates of socio-emotional difficulties for deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) children have been reported compared with their typical hearing (TH) peers. Nonetheless, there has to date been limited examination on this issue internationally and no such examination in the Republic of Ireland. In this study, data was collected from parents using an online survey which included the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire to examine the socio-emotional development of 113 DHH children aged 5–16 in the Republic of Ireland. The results were compared with data from typically hearing (TH) children obtained from a large longitudinal study of childhood in Ireland – the Growing Up in Ireland study. The findings demonstrate that the prevalence of socio-emotional difficulties among this cohort of children is over three times that of the general population of children in Ireland, with 42% of the sample demonstrating clinically significant problem scores. Furthermore, DHH children had elevated subscale scores for the four problem scales in the SDQ when compared against the TH sample. These differences were statistically significant and had a range of effect sizes from small to large. The subscale of most concern was the peer problems subscale where the DHH sample had mean scores that were roughly double those of the TH sample, with a large effect size found. Finally, bivariate analysis revealed that several background variables were associated with elevated difficulty scores for DHH children, namely male gender, poorer communicative competency, and presence of an additional educational need.

Fathering Promotes Child Development in Low- and Middle-Income Countries Through Specific “Active Ingredient” Caregiving Activities

SYNOPSIS Objective. We do not know which specific paternal caregiving practices are associated with more advanced child development in understudied low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The current investigation attempts to identify such caregiving practices. Design. Maternal reports of six specific paternal caregiving practices which may be uniquely associated with early childhood development were examined in a sample of 159,959 families with 3- to 4-year-old children from 51 LMICs. Both father caregiving practices and early childhood development scores were quantified using measures from UNICEF’s Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys. Linear regression models examined which paternal caregiving practices were associated with early childhood development after controlling for the contributions of mothers and children’s other caregivers engaging in the same practices as well as father residence in the home and multiple aspects of the physical home environment and national context. Results. When fathers read to their children, named/counted/drew with their children, or sang to their children, their children demonstrated more advanced overall development. When fathers read, named/counted/drew, and told stories to their children, their children also demonstrated more advanced development in literacy/numeracy and approaches to learning. Some effects depended on whether fathers resided in the home. Fathers naming/counting/drawing with their children was associated with more advanced child development in approaches to learning, and fathers reading to their children was associated with more advanced child socioemotional development only if fathers resided in the child’s home. Conclusions. Fathers reading to their children, naming/counting/drawing with their children, and singing to their children appear to be specific “active ingredients” that promote child development in LMICs. Some of these ingredients only actively promote child development when fathers reside in the child’s home environment. These practices should be supported and encouraged in policy and practice. Fathers’ caregiving matters for child development across a wide swath of LMICs in the world.

The Role of Parental Involvement in the Development of Prosocial Behavior in Young Children: An Evolutionary Model Among Colombian Families

AbstractProsocial behavior is a relevant indicator of children’s socio-emotional development linked to decreased conduct and emotional problems. The present study aimed to identify cross-sectional direct effects of parental involvement on prosocial behavior in three-time assessments at ages 3, 5, and 7 years, to identify carryover effects of the study constructs, and to identify the evolution of these effects over time. A sample of 235 Colombian families participated at t0, 220 at t1, and 145 at t2 by completing self-reported questionnaires for prosocial behavior using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire and the Alabama Parenting Questionnaire for parental involvement. Using PLS-SEM path modeling, we found that the contribution of parental involvement to prosocial behavior was significant in the three assessments. Carryover analyses indicated that initial levels of parental involvement and initial levels of prosocial behavior predict later levels. Using multigroup analysis, we tested significant changes in the path coefficients of direct effects, finding nonsignificant results. For carryover effects, we found changes in parental involvement between t0/t1 and t1/t2. Finally, t-test analyses were used to identify changes in the construct’s means over time, finding significant changes between parental involvement at t1 and t2. No mean differences were found for prosocial behavior. Results from this study highlight the relevance of parental involvement during childhood for maintaining children’s levels of prosocial behavior and reducing the risk of socio-emotional problems. Preventive approaches for these problems should include parents’ training on parental involvement from age 3.5 years or earlier.

How Does Maternal Childhood Trauma, Adult Attachment, Depression, and Parental Reflective Functioning Affect Preschool Children’s Socio-emotional Development?

How Does Maternal Childhood Trauma, Adult Attachment, Depression, and Parental Reflective Functioning Affect Preschool Children’s Socio-emotional Development?

Development and validation of a measure for father involvement during early childhood in a resource-limited context

BackgroundGlobally, there is mounting evidence about the importance of father involvement for improving child and family wellbeing. However, there are limited measurement tools available for assessing father involvement in low-resource settings globally. The objective of this study was to develop and validate a scale for measuring fathers’ engagement in caregiving activities for young children and families in rural Kenya.MethodsWe used baseline data collected in February–March 2023 from a cluster-randomized controlled trial of a parenting intervention aimed at improving early child development in Nyamira and Vihiga counties in Western Kenya. The analytic sample comprised 460 primary caregivers of children under 18 months of age (91.3% mothers) who were in a relationship with a male caregiver of the young child (i.e., father). The primary caregiver reported on the 25-item father involvement scale. We conducted exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses to determine the dimensionality of the measure and estimated latent variable regression models to assess construct and predictive validity in terms of associations with sociodemographic factors, other paternal and maternal psychosocial measures, and early child development outcomes.ResultsThe scale had a four-factor structure representing father involvement in (1) childcare activities, (2) play and affection, (3) household chores, and (4) early learning activities. Each factor showed good internal consistency reliability and evidence of multiple forms of validity. The four factors were associated with child and household sociodemographic characteristics and more positive paternal and maternal psychosocial outcomes. Father involvement across all four domains was associated with higher early child cognitive, language, motor, and socioemotional development scores.ConclusionsOur findings highlight the multidimensional nature of fathers’ caregiving roles in the lives of young children and their families. We establish a valid tool for assessing father involvement in rural Western Kenya that has potential for use in other similar contexts.

Benefits of Pet Therapy for Children and Young Adults

Abstract: With the development of psychology, the mental health of children is paid more attention than before. Reducing attachment to parents and anxiety are common mental issues in children. People need to focus on the mental health of the children. There have been several studies about the function of pets and how they positively or negatively support adults' mental condition. With the increasing number of pets owned, pets play an important role in several families. Pets play an essential role in affecting children's mental health. Pet therapy is an example of how pets impact the mental condition of children. This research focuses on how pets can work in pet therapy to help children reduce mental stress and how pets in their daily lives can help young adults and children perform better social development. The research reviews several previous study papers about pets' influence on children's mental and social development. The research finds that pet therapy can help children with physical health and disabled children reduce their mental stress from the environment and society. In their daily lives, children in families with pets benefit from socio-emotional development and get social support from pets.

The adverse dyadic friendship (ADF): An exploratory retrospective view of female adolescents.

Friendships of adolescent girls play a significant role in providing socio-emotional support and enabling the attainment of developmental tasks. The present exploratory paper focuses on an aspect of close friendships that has yet to be widely examined, which we described as the Adverse Dyadic Friendship (ADF). This is a friendship whose negative elements are perceived from the distance of time as outweighing its positive ones. To examine the features of ADF, a qualitative study based on retrospective data obtained from 34 young adult females (Mage = 31.14, SD = 5.59) was conducted in Israel. Using a semi-structured online questionnaire, participants were asked to address a specific close same-sex friendship they had during their middle or high school years that has negatively affected them. The emerging themes (such as negative feelings and various coping strategies) suggest that ADF comprises an intense emotional condition, having implications on the development of individuals' self-perception. The consequences of ADF may be detrimental to adolescent girls' self-worth and friendship skills and extend into their adult life. Whereas the developmental literature emphasizes the positive aspects of friendship for adolescent girls, this study points out how ADF can also become a developmental challenge for them: on the one hand, ADF comprises a risk factor for their socio-emotional development, and on the other hand, presents an opportunity to learn and introduce changes in their lives. The main contribution of this paper is that ADF can stimulate further research on the complex aspects of friendship between adolescent girls.

Engaging Parents for Improved Schooling Outcomes of Under-8 Pupils: A Teachers’ Qualitative Perception

Purpose. Based on the Asuwada Theory of Sociation, an indigenous theory that stresses the importance of the interactive community cycle, this study aims to understand teachers’ views of children’s schooling in the context of the parents’ engagement pathways. Education policymakers and decision-makers need to understand how outside factors affect children's education as they grow up. This is because education is a continuous, lifelong process largely predictable by activities from when and where children are born. While it is assumed that developing a child's whole personality is the teacher's job, studies have shown that this goal can be challenging to achieve when other aspects of their education are not up to par. However, studies show that parents have not shown much effort, hence this study. Methodology. The study, guided by one research question, adopted the qualitative research design. A semi-structured interview was conducted with twelve (12) seasoned primary school teachers with at least 20 years of teaching experience in the Ibadan Metropolis, Nigeria. Interviews were transcribed and evaluated thematically. Result. Findings revealed teachers’ disposition toward parents’ involvement through crucial thematic areas. We conclude that Child-centered parental networking should be reiterated among parents, making it possible for the children to develop interpersonal competencies, even after school. Conclusion. There are identified areas of engagement that are directly and mutually child-oriented beyond the common narrative of benefiting children alone, through which parents can be involved to improve the schooling interest and socio-emotional development of primary school pupils.

Adverse Childhood Experiences and Socioemotional Outcomes of Children Born Very Preterm

ObjectiveTo examine whether adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) confer risk for socio-emotional problems in children born very preterm (VPT) Study designAs part of a longitudinal study, 96 infants born VPT at 23-30 weeks of gestation were recruited from a level III neonatal intensive care unit and underwent follow-up at ages 2 and 5 years. Eighty-three full-term (FT, 37-41 weeks gestation) children were recruited from an adjoining obstetric service and the local community. ACEs were assessed with the Child Life Events Scale at age 2 and Preschool Age Psychiatric Assessment at age 5. At age 5, internalizing, externalizing, and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) symptoms were assessed with the Child Behavior Checklist and Conner’s Rating Scale-Revised, respectively. Covariates including socioeconomic disadvantage, maternal distress, and parent ADHD symptoms were assessed at the 2- and/or 5-year follow-up. Mediation and moderation analysis, accounting for family clustering, examined associations between birth group, ACEs, and socio-emotional outcomes. ResultsAfter covariate adjustment, children born VPT experienced more ACEs (p<0.001), particularly medical ACEs (p<0.01), and had worse ADHD and internalizing outcomes (p<.05) than FT children. ACEs mediated the association between birth group and ADHD outcomes (95% CIs: 0.11 – 4.08). There was no evidence of mediation for internalizing outcomes. Higher parent ADHD symptoms (p<.001) and maternal distress (p<.05) were associated with poorer internalizing outcomes. ConclusionsScreening for childhood ACEs should be embedded in the follow-up care of children born VPT and their families. Strategies to screen for and address parent psychosocial functioning may be important to support children’s socio-emotional development.

Behavioral, Social, and Emotional Development of Five-Year-Old Children Conceived by Assistive Reproductive Technologies (In-Vitro Fertilization)

Preschool children conceived through In-Vitro Fertilization (IVF) tend to demonstrate particular behavioral, social, and emotional patterns that correlate with their physical development. The authors used a number of techniques to assess the behavior and social and emotional development of five-year-old IVF children. Such questionnaires as Your Child’s Behavior and Child’s Relationship with Friends and Family cast light on the behavioral, social, and emotional status. To define the physical development, the authors used such questionnaires as Child Feeding Issues, Three-Month History of Infectious Diseases, History of Injuries and Accidents, and Chronic Disease History. The sample consisted of 81 IVF children and 153 naturally-conceived children (aged 5); it included subgroups of children with perinatal developmental risks. Most parents of the IVF children reported neither behavioral nor social issues. However, the IVF children demonstrated more severe emotional issues. The IVF children with perinatal developmental risks had more pronounced emotional and anxiety issues, which was not typical of naturally-conceived children with perinatal risks. Both groups included children with difficulties in social and emotional development. The study revealed four significant factors that defined the difficulties of the socio-emotional development in the IVF children: behavioral disorders, aggression, social issues, and emotional issues. The significant correlations of behavioral, social, and emotional development in the IVF group indicated some specificity against the control. The correlating indicators of mental and physical development proved that physical development might affect behavioral, social, and emotional development in IVF children.

Psychometric evaluation of the Swedish version of ages and stages questionnaire social-emotional: second edition for parents of children 18 months of age

BackgroundSocial and emotional development are important aspects of young children’s well-being but can be difficult to assess during the first years of life. The Ages and Stages Questionnaire: Social-Emotional Second Edition (ASQ:SE-2) is a parent-rated assessment tool for child socioemotional development between 1 and 72 months of age. In this study, we examined the psychometric properties of this instrument in 18-month-old Swedish children.MethodsData from 586 Swedish-speaking parents of 18-month-old children were included. In addition to the ASQ:SE-2, parents also completed the Social-Emotional Assessment/Evaluation Measure (SEAM), and the child’s socioemotional development was assessed by a nurse at the Child Health Services. We used exploratory factor analysis and Rasch methodology to explore dimensionality and item properties of the ASQ:SE-2. Furthermore, we used Pearson and Spearman rank correlations to study associations with the SEAM and the nurse assessment.ResultsAn exploratory factor analysis suggested a one-factor model for the ASQ:SE-2 items. However, several items showed weak factor loadings, and a final scale including 18 of the original 29 items was further explored. The Rasch analysis revealed problems with targeting, and the final scale showed acceptable reliability only in the 22% with the highest levels of socioemotional difficulties. The total score of the final version showed a strong association with the parent-rated SEAM but a weak association with the nurse observations. We labeled the reduced 18-item scale Social Interaction.ConclusionsThe results of this study highlight that the original Swedish version of the ASQ:SE-2 for 18-month-old children may not be an adequate tool for assessing social and emotional competencies in a normal population since acceptable reliability was reached only in children with the greatest difficulties (above the 78th percentile). In conclusion, the suggested 18-item version works best either as a screening instrument for problems with social interaction or as a continuous measure of such problems in children with high levels of social interaction difficulties.

More Than Just Treats? Effects of Grandparental Support for Children Growing up in Adversity.

This study examined whether grandparental support is a protective factor for children's socio-emotional development in the context of adversity. Using longitudinal data from the Millennium Cohort Study, we investigated the effects of grandparental support across development in children with and without adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). Socio-emotional development was assessed with the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire when children were aged 3 years (N=10,186), 5 years (N=10,412) and 7 years (N=10,551). Parent-reported grandparental childcare, coresidence and financial help were assessed and parents reported on the occurrence of five ACEs: physical and emotional abuse assessed with the Straus' Conflict Tactics Scale, parental mental illness assessed with the Kessler scale, domestic violence and parental separation. We found that children with relatively higher levels of ACEs showed more prosocial behaviour and less externalizing problems when they received grandparental care compared to non-grandparental (in)formal care, but only at age 3. By age 7, children with higher levels of ACEs receiving grandparental care showed less prosocial behaviour and more externalizing problems. In addition, grandparental financial support at age 3 was related to more externalizing problems. Post-hoc analyses showed that internalizing and externalizing behaviours at age 5 were related to an increased probability of grandparental childcare at age 7, indicating that children's socio-emotional problems trigger grandparental support. Our findings point to a protective effect of grandparental care on children's socio-emotional development at age 3. Our results highlight the importance of going beyond the nuclear family towards the impact of the wider family network when examining children's socio-emotional development. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS: Three-year-old children with high levels of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) show more prosocial behaviour and less externalizing behaviour when they receive grandparental care. Grandparental care has therefore protective effects on young children's socio-emotional development in the context of family adversity. Grandparents respond to children's socio-emotional problems and family adversity by increasing financial support and involvement in care. These findings underscore the importance of going beyond the nuclear family towards the impact of the wider family network when examining children's socio-emotional development.

Vocal Emotion Perception in Children Using Cochlear Implant.

The significance of emotional prosody in social communication is well-established, yet research on emotion perception among cochlear implant (CI) users is less extensive. This study aims to explore vocal emotion perception in children using CI and bimodal hearing devices and compare them with their normal hearing (NH) peers. The study involved children aged 4-10 years with unilateral CI and contralateral hearing aid (HA), matched with NH peers by gender and listening age. Children were selected using snowball sampling for the CI group and purposive sampling for the NH group. Vocal emotion perception was assessed for semantically neutral sentences in "happy," "sad," and "angry" emotions using a 3 alternate forced choice test. The NH group demonstrated significantly superior emotion perception (P=.002) compared to the CI group. Both groups accurately identified the "happy" emotion. However, the NH group had higher scores for the "angry" emotion compared to the "sad" emotion, while the CI group showed better scores for "sad" than "angry" emotion. Bimodal hearing devices improved recognition of "sad"and "angry" emotions, with a decrease in confusion percentages. The unbiased hit (Hu) value provided more substantial insight than the hit score. Bimodal hearing devices enhance the perception of "sad" and "angry" vocal emotions compared to using a CI alone, likely due to the HA providing the temporal fine structure cues, thereby better representing fundamental frequency variations. Children with unilateral CI benefit significantly in the perception of emotions by using a HA in the contralateral ear, aiding in better socio-emotional development.

Challenges in Implementing Early Childhood Care and Education in Anganwadi Centres: A Case Study of Rangia Sub District of Kamrup District of Assam

Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) is essential for the cognitive, physical, and socio-emotional development of young children. In India, the National Education Policy (NEP 2020), along with the National Curriculum Framework for Foundational Stage (NCF-FS 2022), emphasizes the importance of providing quality ECCE through Anganwadi Centres to lay a strong foundation for children's overall growth and future learning. The study titled "Challenges in Implementing Early Childhood Care and Education in Anganwadi Centres: A Case Study of Rangia Sub Division of Kamrup District of Assam" examines the obstacles Anganwadi Centres (AWCs) face in delivering ECCE as outlined by NEP 2020. The research identifies key challenges such as inadequate infrastructure, a lack of essential classroom materials, insufficient indoor and outdoor play equipment, and irregular supplies of food and medical resources. Using a survey approach, the findings reveal that most AWCs in the Rangia Sub-Division are under-resourced, limiting their ability to provide the comprehensive educational experiences vital for early childhood development. The study advocates for targeted interventions, including better resource allocation, infrastructure upgrades, and improved training programs, to address these shortcomings and achieve the ECCE objectives set by NEP 2020 in the region.

Effectiveness of Play Therapy Programme in Promoting Early Child Development of under-5 Children visiting Tertiary Care Hospital in Rural Settings: Study Protocol of a Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background Good care and conscious, mindful parenting are the essential requirements of the early childhood period. Good care in early childhood consists of mindful handling of children’s needs like hunger, care in sickness, socio-emotional needs, safety, love and affection. Good care promotes children’s development and provides a favourable environment for learning. It’s a well-known fact that hospitalization is a stressful situation for child of any age. Play is an integral part of early childhood period which is virtually restricted in hospital settings. This study will try to explore the effectiveness of play therapy delivered in hospital settings, on early child development. Methods This will be a randomized control trial conducted in the Paediatrics department of a tertiary care hospital in Wardha, India. The sample size will be 360 children, 180 each in intervention and control arm. The hospitalized children from intervention arm will receive customized Play Therapy sessions from trained research assistants and will be followed up at scheduled home visits for one year from the date of enrolment. All children will be assessed for changes in cognitive, motor and socio-emotional development scores. The differences in development scores between intervention and control groups will be compared and effect sizes of changes will be calculated. Discussion Implementation of play stimulation activities have been reported as useful strategies for promoting child development and good recovery during hospitalization. This trial will attempt to explore the effectiveness of play therapy on changes in child development scores of children from intervention group compared to the control group. The customized play therapy program will be adapted to paediatric inpatient settings, and attempts will be made to improve the Play Therapy kit for hospitalized children. Registration Clinical Trial Registry of India Registration No.: C.T.R.I./2022/03/041355, dated 24/03/2022. Protocol Version: v6 Dated 04/10/2024.

Indie Games for Ethical and Socioemotional Development in Secondary Education

Video games, particularly those developed in the independent scene, are a form of media with great educational possibilities. This work in progress will be completed in three years and it aims to improve teachers video game literacy and help them implementing activities for ethical and socioemotional development (European key competencies 5 and 6) through indie games. Therefore, through design-based research and mixed-method designs, it aims to achieve three goals: (O1) identify the perception and meaning-making processes that teachers and students have about videogames and learning through video games; (O2) design a measurable training program for teachers around the educational possibilities of indie games and help them implement activities for ethical and socioemotional development; and (O3) evaluate the programs impact based on the indicators of key competencies 5 and 6. The project is in its first phases and it will be developed in the next three years. First, representative samples of each agent will be accessed to analyze their beliefs, types of knowledge, and practical experience in the field. Subsequently, four independent video games that promote key competencies 5 and 6 will be selected, and classroom activities will be designed for each of them. Next, teachers from four high schools in Spain (Cantabria, Baleares, Andalucía and Catalonia) will be trained in the use of the educational resources, and they will be accompanied in its implementation with students. Finally, the programs impact on students will be evaluated based on various psychological variables associated with key competences 5 and 6 (e.g., empathy, emotional identification, civic skills, etc.) as well as the participants perceptions of the experience, enabling the generation of design principles for future iterations and for the programs scalability.

The effect of live-performed music therapy with physical contact in preterm infants on parental perceived stress and salivary cortisol levels.

Parents of preterm infants face a stressful life event which might have long term impact on the parent-child relation as well as on the infant's cognitive and socio-emotional development. Both music therapy (MT) and physical contact (PC) are stress-reducing interventions for parents and preterm infants on the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Meanwhile, especially close PC is considered as standard care (SC) in most NICUs. However, the effect of live performed MT with PC on parental perceived stress and cortisol levels has barely been investigated. We hypothesized that MT with PC leads to reduced stress levels and lower salivary cortisol concentrations compared to SC in parents of preterm infants during the first 4 weeks after birth. Randomized-controlled trial enrolling the parents of 99 preterm infants (MT n = 50, SC n = 49 infants). The infants received either MT with PC or SC only. Perceived stress was measured with the perceived stress questionnaire 20 (PSQ-20) after birth and 4 weeks later. Salivary cortisol levels were obtained and measured weekly after birth for 4 weeks. Forty-two mothers and eight fathers of the intervention group (MT with PC) as well as n = 43 mothers and n = 6 fathers of the control group (SC) were enrolled. For the intervention group, salivary cortisol was reduced 4 weeks after birth [mothers 5.5 nmol/l (confidence interval (CI) 3.6-7.5); fathers 8.3 (CI 7.2-9.4)] compared to the control group [mothers 10.3 nmol/l (CI 5.4-15.3); fathers 14.8 (CI 8.9-20.7)]. Overall perceived stress scores decreased in the intervention group (mothers -17.6; fathers -12.6) and increased in the control group (mothers +6.1; fathers +21.4) over 4 weeks. Live-performed MT with PC in preterm infants might be an effective, non-invasive intervention to reduce parental stress and cortisol levels. Future studies should investigate the long-term effects of this intervention on the parent-infant relation as well as on the infants' cognitive and socio-emotional development. https://drks.de/search/en/trial/DRKS00025755 identifier [DRKS00025755].

Do parents show interpersonally oriented socialization practices for adolescents' negative emotions? Through the lens of Chinese families.

This research proposes a new framework called interpersonally oriented parental emotion socialization (inter-PES) practices to address parental socialization of adolescents' interpersonal emotional processing. This framework captures parents' interpersonal perspectives when their adolescent children experience negative emotions resulting from social interactions. In Study 1, parents (n = 925; 84.54% females; Mage = 39.86 years, SD = 4.37) recalled their PES practices. Content analysis of parents' narratives showed four components of inter-PES: perspective-taking, positive attributions to others, negative attributions to others, and concern for others. In Study 2, parents (n = 536; 57.98% females; Mage = 42.84 years, SD = 4.01) evaluated their own parenting behaviors on a newly developed scale to measure the four components mentioned above. Factor analysis supported the four-factor structure. Moreover, the four subscales demonstrated good reliabilities. In Study 3, adolescents (n = 864; 45.97% females; Mage = 14.50 years, SD = 0.77) reported their perceived maternal inter-PES using the same scale, and factor analysis again confirmed the four-factor structure. Study 3 also showed that the four components of inter-PES reported by adolescents were related to their perceptions of other commonly assessed maternal parenting variables and self-reported socioemotional development. Overall, this research develops a new tool for studying inter-PES and reveals new avenues for future research on how parents' interpersonal perspectives during emotional socialization may relate to adolescents' socioemotional outcomes. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).