Study Of Early Child Care And Youth Development Research Articles

Transactional Linkages Between Parenting Behaviors and Child Executive Functions and Self-Regulation from Early Childhood to Adolescence.

Research on the development of executive functions (EFs) and self-regulation (SR) has focused heavily on the early childhood years, when these abilities first emerge. Less is known in comparison about how these abilities develop through adolescence, and how contextual factors, such as parenting, influence their development in later years. Using longitudinal data from the Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (SECCYD), we used random intercept cross-lagged panel modeling (RI-CLPM) to examine the bidirectional linkages between three parenting behaviors (i.e., autonomy support, supportive presence, hostility), child EFs (i.e., working memory, inhibitory control) and child SR outcomes, from early childhood to adolescence. Parenting in early childhood was significantly associated with change in child EFs from early to middle childhood, but not from middle childhood to adolescence. Specifically, greater autonomy support in early childhood was associated with stronger child working memory and inhibitory control in middle childhood; greater supportive presence in early childhood was associated with stronger child working memory in middle childhood; and higher rates of hostility in early childhood were associated with weaker child inhibitory skills in middle childhood. Reciprocal effects of child EF and SR on parenting were also observed. Specifically, stronger child inhibitory control in early childhood was associated with less hostility in middle childhood, and stronger child self-regulation in middle childhood was associated with greater supportive presence in adolescence. Accounting for lagged and stability effects, there was significant residual covariance between parenting behaviors and child SR in adolescence, suggesting that parenting continues to be associated with the development of SR skills through adolescence. Understanding reciprocal linkages between parenting and child EF/SR through adolescence is critical in developing targeted parenting interventions beyond early childhood to improve children's outcomes.

Which aspects of education are health protective? a life course examination of early education and adulthood cardiometabolic health in the 30-year study of early child care and Youth Development (SECCYD)

BackgroundPast research describes robust associations between education and health, yet findings have generally been limited to the examination of education as the number of years of education or educational attainment. Little is known about the specific features or processes underpinning education that are health protective. The objective of the current study was to address this gap by examining specific aspects of early education pertaining to student characteristics and experiences, as well as features of the classroom environment, in predicting cardiometabolic health in adulthood.MethodsSubjects were 1364 participants in the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (SECCYD, 1991–2009) and recent SECCYD 30-year follow-up, the Study of Health in Early and Adult Life (SHINE, 2018–2022). Models examined individual education indicators (student social skills, student-teacher relationship quality, and classroom emotional and instructional quality in the period of elementary school and student academic performance between ages 54 months and 15 years) in relation to a composite of cardiometabolic risk in adulthood (ages 26–31), reflecting central adiposity, blood pressure, insulin resistance, inflammation, and dyslipidemia. Models were adjusted for key explanatory factors including socio-demographics, infant characteristics, parental socioeconomic status (SES), and child health status. Follow-up analyses were performed to test potential mediators of early education effects on adult health, including adult SES (educational attainment, household income) and health behaviors (diet quality, activity level, sleep duration, smoking).ResultsIn adjusted models, results showed greater student social skills, indexed by a mean of annual teacher ratings between kindergarten and 6th grade, predicted lower cardiometabolic risk in adulthood (β=-0.009, p <.05). In follow-up analyses, results showed the protective effect of student social skills on cardiometabolic risk may be mediated by adult income (β=-0.0014, p <.05) and diet quality (β=-0.0031, p <.05). Effects of the other early education indicators were non-significant (ps > 0.05).ConclusionsFindings point to the potential significance of early student social competence as a link to long-term health, possibly via the acquisition of resources needed for the maintenance of health, as well as through engagement in health behaviors supporting healthy eating. However, more research is needed to replicate these findings and to elaborate on the role of early student social competence and the pathways explaining its effects on cardiometabolic health in adulthood.

Psychosocial Adjustment as a Mediator in the Relationship between Childhood Exposure to Maternal Depression and Subsequent BMI and Overweight Risk.

This study investigated the correlation between early exposure to maternal depression (from 1 month to Grade 3) and the body mass index (BMI) and potential for overweight in adolescents at age 15. It further examined if the pathway of this correlation was influenced by psychosocial adjustment during mid-childhood (Grade 3 to Grade 6), specifically through internalizing and externalizing behaviors. Our study utilized data from 844 participants in the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (SECCYD) to assess the effects of maternal depression, observed from when the children were one month old to Grade 3, on BMI and the likelihood of overweight or obesity in adolescents aged 15. We also explored whether the average scores of internalizing and externalizing behaviors between Grades 3 and 6 mediated the impact of early maternal depressive symptoms on subsequent health outcomes. The analysis was adjusted for demographic and socioeconomic factors. Findings revealed that internalizing and externalizing behavioral issues significantly mediated the relationship between prolonged maternal depression exposure and subsequent BMI, as well as the risk of overweight or obesity, in adolescents at age 15. Notably, this mediating effect was predominantly evident in girls. Our research demonstrated that the correlation between prolonged exposure to maternal depressive symptoms in childhood and increased BMI and overweight risk in adolescence was significantly mediated through psychosocial adjustment behaviors. We advocate for further exploration of additional mediating factors in future studies.

Pubertal timing: A life course pathway linking early life risk to adulthood cardiometabolic health.

To evaluate a series of prospective life course models testing whether the timing of pubertal development is a pathway through which prepubertal risk factors may influence adulthood cardiometabolic health. Subjects were 655 female participants in the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (SECCYD) and recent SECCYD 30-year follow-up, the Study of Health in Early and Adult Life (SHINE). Prepubertal risk factors included maternal menarcheal age, child race/ethnicity, child health status indicators, and child adversity indicators. Pubertal timing was indexed by breast development onset (Tanner stage [TS] II), pubic hair onset (TS II) and menarcheal age. Adulthood cardiometabolic risk (CMR) was indexed by a composite of waist circumference, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, hemoglobin A1c, C-reactive protein, and high-density lipoprotein. Inspection of paths between the prepubertal risk factors, pubertal timing indicators, and adulthood CMR composite showed later breast development onset (-0.173, p < .01), later pubic hair onset (-0.182, p < .01), and later menarche (-0.145, p < .01) each predicted lower adulthood CMR, and each pubertal timing indicator mediated effects of prepubertal risk factors on adulthood CMR. Specifically, the timing of breast development onset and menarche mediated effects of maternal menarcheal age, Black (vs. White), Asian/PI (vs. White), child BMI percentile, and child SES on adulthood CMR (all ps < .05), and the timing of pubic hair onset mediated effects of maternal menarcheal age, Black (vs. White), and child BMI percentile on adulthood CMR (all ps < .10). Findings in the current study contribute to the broader literature by identifying pubertal development and its timing as a potentially important pathway through which early life exposures may shape adulthood cardiometabolic health and disease. These findings have important implications for novel opportunities for increased surveillance and potential intervention focusing on pubertal development as a target to improve health more broadly.

The mediating role of child delay of gratification in the link between early and prolonged poverty exposure and adolescent allostatic load

Early and prolonged exposure to poverty disrupts biological processes associated with the body’s stress response system, leading to long-term negative health outcomes, including obesity, autoimmune disorders, and cardiovascular disease. Allostatic load (AL), a composite measure of chronic stress on the body, is a robust predictor of subsequent health outcomes. However, developmental research examining the associations of early poverty exposure with AL in adolescence, as well as the underlying mechanisms of influence is limited. Early poverty exposure also impedes healthy development of child self-regulation, which may increase risk for high AL in adolescence, but this mechanistic pathway has not yet been tested. We used data from the national Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (SECCYD) to examine the longitudinal associations between prolonged poverty exposure in early childhood (0–3 years) and AL in adolescence (age 15). We also tested the mediating role of child delay of gratification, a behavioral measure of self-regulation (at age 54 months), in the potential association between early poverty exposure and adolescent AL. Accounting for model covariates (i.e., child biological sex and race-ethnicity) and individual differences in child delay of gratification, early and prolonged poverty exposure was significantly associated with higher AL at age 15. The indirect effect through child delay of gratification was not significant, but the individual pathways of the indirect effect were significant, and the overall direct association of early poverty exposure with adolescent AL was significant. Our findings show that prolonged exposure to poverty in early childhood (0–3 years) can have significant negative associations with both child delay of gratification (at 54 months) and AL (at age 15). Given that the detrimental impacts of poverty exposure can be detected at an early age, targeted prevention efforts (e.g., anti-poverty programs such as cash assistance programs) may be able to offset some of the risks of early poverty exposure on self-regulation and AL.

Understanding puberty and its measurement: Ideas for a maturing field

Puberty is a complex developmental process involving neuroendocrine changes (e.g., hormones, brain development), physical maturity (e.g., breast development, facial hair growth), and social reorganization (e.g., new social roles and relationships). Despite robust literature on the psychological correlates of pubertal development, research is limited by (1) a narrow conceptualization of puberty, (2) a focus on single pubertal markers (e.g., onset), and (3) invasive clinical exams that may limit access to representative samples. Indeed, many aspects of pubertal development - when it begins, how quickly or slowly youth progress through puberty, and how one’s maturity is viewed by others - are central to young people’s development and their future health and wellbeing. Further, while pubertal measures can reflect many different aspects of puberty, each telling a distinct story about development, they are frequently used and understood in similar ways, often privileging the experiences of White youth (and especially, girls) over those with marginalized social identities.The goals of this symposium are to bring together three researchers who will discuss the conceptualization and measurement of puberty as well as the implications of different measurement approaches for understanding youth’s current and future health and wellbeing. In the first presentation, Niamh MacSweeney will present data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study demonstrating the sex-specific association of adrenal and gonadal pubertal timing with brain development and subsequently, depression over four years. In the second presentation, Natasha Chaku will use data from the Study of Early Childcare and Youth Development (SECCYD) to explore how different measures (i.e., Tanner stages vs. parent reports) and analytic approaches (i.e., latent growth curves vs. sex and age-related residuals) for understanding pubertal timing can impact inferences related to adolescent mental health. In the final presentation, Anne-Lise Goddings will review the state of current pubertal assessment measures, discussing limitations identified from youth, clinicians, and researchers and the development of a novel digital tool, co-developed with young people. The discussant, Lindsay Till Hoyt, will integrate the findings, highlighting the importance of considering the accuracy and meaning of different pubertal measures and how they relate to the biopsychosocial experiences of diverse youth.

Longitudinal Links Between Parental Emotional Distress and Adolescent Delinquency: The Role of Marital Conflict and Parent-Child Conflict.

The mediating processes linking parental emotional distress and changes in adolescent delinquency over time are poorly understood. The current study examined this question using data from 457 adolescents (49.5% female; 89.5% White; assessed at ages 11, 12, and 15) and their parents, part of the national, longitudinal Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (SECCYD). Maternal depression was only directly associated with changes in adolescent delinquency. Paternal depression was indirectly associated with changes in adolescent delinquency through a partner effect on mother-child conflict. The findings indicate the salience of parental depression and mother-child conflict for increases in adolescent delinquency and highlight the importance of including parental actor and partner effects for a more comprehensive understanding of the tested associations.

The predictive validity of the strange situation procedure: Evidence from registered analyses of two landmark longitudinal studies.

Meta-analyses demonstrate that the quality of early attachment is modestly associated with peer social competence (r = .19) and externalizing behavior (r = -.15), but weakly associated with internalizing symptoms (r = -.07) across early development (Groh et al., Child Development Perspectives, 11(1), 70-76, 2017). Nonetheless, these reviews suffer from limitations that undermine confidence in reported estimates, including evidence for publication bias and the lack of comprehensive assessments of outcome measures from longitudinal studies in the literature. Moreover, theoretical claims regarding the specificity of the predictive significance of early attachment variation for socioemotional versus academic outcomes had not been evaluated when the analyses for this report were registered (but see Dagan et al., Child Development, 1-20, 2023; Deneault et al., Developmental Review, 70, 101093, 2023). To address these limitations, we conducted a set of registered analyses to evaluate the predictive validity of infant attachment in two landmark studies of the Strange Situation: the Minnesota Longitudinal Study of Risk and Adaptation (MLSRA) and the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (SECCYD). Across-time composite assessments reflecting teacher report, mother report, and self-reports of each outcome measure were created. Bivariate associations between infant attachment security and socioemotional outcomes in the MLSRA were comparable to, or slightly weaker than, those reported in the recent meta-analyses, whereas those in the SECCYD were weaker for these outcomes. Controlling for four demographic covariates, partial correlation coefficients between infant attachment and all socioemotional outcomes were r ≤ .10 to .15 in both samples. Compositing Strange Situations at ages 12 and 18 months did not substantively alter the predictive validity of the measure in the MLSRA, though a composite measure of three different early attachment measures in the SECCYD did increase predictive validity coefficients. Associations between infant attachment security and academic skills were unexpectedly comparable to (SECCYD) or larger than (MLSRA) those observed with respect to socioemotional outcomes.

The Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (SECCYD): Studying Development from Infancy to Adulthood

The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (SECCYD) is a comprehensive study of human development that has followed participants from birth ( N = 1,364) to age 26 ( N = 814). Observations, diagnostic procedures, standardized tests, and questionnaires were used to measure five developmental contexts (early care and education, home, school, out of school, and neighborhoods) and three developmental domains (social–emotional, cognitive–academic, and physical–biological). Measures were repeated over time so that stability, change, and growth trajectories of both contexts and developmental domains could be studied. The goals of this review are threefold: ( a) to acquaint readers with the depth and breadth of measures available in this public data set, ( b) to provide an overview of longitudinal findings that extend the SECCYD to the end of high school and age 26, and ( c) to highlight promising areas for future research.

Caregiving Antecedents of Secure Base Script Knowledge Inferred from the Adult Attachment Interview: A Comparative, Pre-Registered Analysis.

Attachment theorists claim that the quality of parental support is internalized as a mental representation of early relationship experiences. Increasingly, the content of attachment representations is evaluated by studying the extent to which adults demonstrate knowledge of the secure base script, either in the context of the Attachment Script Assessment (ASA) or during the Adult Attachment Interview (AAIsbs). Preliminary evidence from a high-risk sample showed that AAIsbs was more strongly associated with the quality of antecedent caregiving than was the more traditional approach to the measurement of adult attachment focused on the coherence of adults' AAI discourse (Waters, et al., 2017). Drawing on new coding of data from the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (SECCYD), we found that AAIsbs around age 18 years was significantly predicted by observations of maternal (r = .21) and paternal (r = .12) sensitivity assessed prospectively through age 15 years, and with attachment security in the first three years of life (r =.08). AAIsbs was also associated with existing measures of adult attachment (rs = .31-.42). Pre-registered analyses revealed that AAIsbs performed in a manner roughly comparable to traditional, though more labor intensive approaches to coding the AAI. Based on all available evidence from the SECCYD and the pragmatic challenges and advantages of different narrative methods for assessing adult attachment representations (Booth-LaForce & Roisman, 2014; Steele et al., 2014), researchers seeking to measure attachment representations should strongly consider the strengths of the ASA in term of practicality, performance, and adaptability to various age groups across development (Waters & Waters, 2021).

Thirty-year follow-up of the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (SECCYD): the challenges and triumphs of conducting in-person research at a distance

PurposeThe purpose of the current study, The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) Study of Health in Early and Adult Life (SHINE), was to build on the...

Longitudinal Path Analysis Of Child Behavior Difficulties And Physical Activity Behaviors From Early Childhood To Adolescence.

Extracurricular physical activity (PA) are a major contributor to child development and social wellbeing. However, disparities exist in both experience and opportunity for participation by individual characteristics such as race, sex, and behavior difficulties. PURPOSE: To test effects and associations of individual characteristics, primary school PA experiences, and secondary school psychosocial outcomes. METHODS: We tested relationships in a structural equation model using longitudinal data from the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth development (SECCYD) (N=1,364, 52% female, 24% non-White, 21% families at twice poverty level). Independent variables were attained at grades 3. These included measures of total problems, inattention, social skills, and enjoyment of physical activity. Dependent variable were collected at 3 time points (grade 5, grade 6, age 15). These included repeated measures grade 5 and age 15 inattention and total problems, social skills at grade 5, and impulsivity and social problems at age 15. Grade 6 mediating PA variables included minutes of PA and sedentary time after school, device-assessed MVPA, played a sport, and enjoyment of PA. RESULTS: Grade 5 inattention predicted minutes of MVPA in grade 6 (β=0.117, p=0.01). Grade 5 total problems predicted grade 6 sedentary time after school (β=0.095, p=0.05). Grade 5 social skills predicted minutes of PA after school (β=0.094, p=0.018) and enjoyment of PA in grade 6 (β=0.094, p=0.032). The only grade 6 PA related behavior to show direct effects on age 15 social health outcomes was sedentary minutes after school predicting social problem scores (β=0.128, p=0.012). Boys demonstrated higher grade 3 inattention, grade 6 PA after school, grade 6 total MVPA, and age 15 impulsivity; and lower sedentary minutes after school (all ps<.05). Children from families with low income to needs ratio at baseline evidenced higher grade 6 PA after school, age 15 social problems, and age 15 total problems. CONCLUSIONS: This longitudinal view of the influence of social characteristics on PA experiences and mental health suggests reciprocal effects of these constructs throughout childhood. These findings indicate the importance of PA opportunities and experiences for all developing children.

Adolescent affective psychopathic traits: the long-term outcomes of mother-infant attachment across 14years.

Affective psychopathic traits have been associated with increased violence and aggression. The scholarly interest in the pathways leading to affective psychopathic traits in adolescence has been growing. Infant attachment security may be one of the early life factors that contribute to the development of affective psychopathic traits. In this study, we test the infant attachment styles measured with the Strange Situation Procedure as a predictor of adolescent affective psychopathic traits measured in three dimensions: remorselessness, unemotionality, and callousness, among 1149 families in the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (SECCYD). Propensity scores for the four attachment styles were estimated with iterative tree-based regression models. After accounting for the potential confounding effects of demographic characteristics and child temperament with the inverse probability of treatment weighting, weighted generalized linear models revealed the association between insecure/avoidant attachment style measured one year after childbirth and higher levels of remorselessness, unemotionality, and callousness at 15years. These findings provide insights into the long-term outcomes for attachment relationships established in early life.

Parental relationship quality and children's behavioural problems: Childcare quality as a protective factor?

Objective: This study investigates how changes in parental relationship quality relate to children's socio-emotional development during early childhood and whether high-quality early childcare arrangements may act as a protective factor in children’s environments.&#x0D; Background: We draw on family systems theory and the bioecological model of human development to conceptualise how different social environments may interact in their influences on children's socio-emotional development during early childhood and across the transition to primary school.&#x0D; Method: Based on a pooled sample of 636 US-American children who took part in the longitudinal NICHD Study of Early Childcare and Youth Development (SECCYD), we applied fixed-effects panel models to three time points between age 3 and first grade.&#x0D; Results: Whereas changes in parental relationships quality were not significant in predicting children's socio-emotional development from age 3 to 4.5 years, our results showed that a reduction in parental relationship quality was moderately associated with an increase in behaviour problems of children across the transition to first grade. We did not find any evidence of mitigating effects of the child-specific process quality of the ECEC arrangement, neither for informal nor formal care settings.&#x0D; Conclusion: The results suggest that initiatives designed to improve a couple’'s relationship quality might also be an effective way to further their children’s socio-emotional development.

It matters how you start: Early numeracy mastery predicts high school math course-taking and college attendance.

Using data from the Applied Problems subtest of the Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Achievement (Woodcock & Johnson, 1989/1990, Woodcock-Johnson psycho-educational battery-revised. Allen, TX: DLM Teaching Resources) administered to 1,364 children from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) Study of Early Childcare and Youth Development (SECCYD), this study measures children's mastery of three numeric competencies (counting, concrete representational arithmetic and abstract arithmetic operations) at 54 months of age. We find that, even after controlling for key demographic characteristics, the numeric competency that children master prior to school entry relates to important educational transitions in secondary and post-secondary education. Those children who showed low numeric competency prior to school entry enrolled in lower math track classes in high school and were less likely to enrol in college. Important numeracy competency differences at age 54 months related to socioeconomic inequalities were also found. These findings suggest that important indicators of long-term schooling success (i.e., advanced math courses, college enrollment) are evident prior to schooling based on the levels of numeracy mastery.

Developmental Trajectories of Pediatric Obsessive-Compulsive Symptoms.

Children who experience obsessive-compulsive symptoms (OCS) may be at risk for developing Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). The current study aimed to investigate developmental trajectories of OCS, as well as possible predictors, within a community-based sample of children. Children (N = 1147) from the longitudinal NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (SECCYD) were assessed for OCS, via the Child Behavioral Checklist - Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (OCS-8), eight times between Pre-Kindergarten (54months; Pre-K) and High School (15years of age; HS.) Participants were recruited within the United States and included only maternal caregivers. Preliminary analyses indicated that approximately 3% of the sample was above the diagnostic cutoff score on the OCS-8 at the High School time-point. Latent growth models tested symptom trajectories. Findings demonstrated three groups of OCS trajectories. Most children fell within a low symptomatology group (the No Peak group) with low OCS across all time points. Two additional OCS trajectories were also demonstrated: Pre-K Peak (high to low OCS across time) and HS Peak (low to high OCS across time). Both higher attention problems and greater depression/anxiety symptoms at the Pre-K time point predicted children's membership in the Pre-K Peak or HS Peak groups compared to the No Peak group. Membership within the HS Peak group predicted a high likelihood of children's OCS being above previously established cutoff scores for an OCD diagnosis at age 15years. Membership within either the Pre-K Peak or No Peak groups predicted a low likelihood. This study provides new evidence for the existence of different developmental trajectories for youth with OCS. From a clinical perspective, these results may have important implications when considering the identification and early intervention of childhood OCS and OCD within the community.

Early life predictors of positive change during the coronavirus disease pandemic

BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic is a crisis unprecedented in its size and scope. Yet studies of resilience suggest most individuals will successfully negotiate this challenge and some may even experience growth and positive change. Some evidence suggests that the capacity to enact positive change in the face of adversity may be shaped by early life experiences.MethodsIn a subset of 374 participants (57% female, mean age = 29 years) in the Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (SECCYD), a longitudinal, birth cohort, prospective models were tested to determine whether early life adversities in family and neighborhood contexts predict positive change events in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Childhood family and neighborhood contexts were assessed using a combination of self-report questionnaires and US Census data. Adulthood positive change events (e.g., becoming more appreciative of things usually taken for granted) were assessed using the Epidemic-Pandemic Impacts Inventory (EPII).ResultsIn regression analyses, neighborhood disadvantage in childhood, measured both by objective and subjective assessments, predicted a higher number of positive change events in response to the COVID-19 pandemic (β = .18, p = .004 and β = .15, p = .006, respectively). Examination of the positive change event subscales showed neighborhood disadvantage in childhood predicted increases in events related to ‘perspective taking and charitable giving’ (β = .20, p = .022 and β = .17, p = .002, respectively) and improved ‘social relationships’ (β = .18, p = .004 and β = .13, p = .020, respectively), but not to positive ‘health behaviors’ (ps > .05). All associations were independent of sociodemographic factors and childhood family dysfunction.ConclusionsFindings suggest that neighborhood disadvantage in childhood may shape prosocial responses to stress in adulthood, potentially through early life adaptions to stress that are protective when facing adversity. There are several notable implications of the study findings. Although adversity in early life has clear negative impacts, it is possible that adversity experiences may also provide opportunities to develop adaptive strategies that foster resilience and growth when facing stress. Intervention efforts should consider leveraging such stress-adapted strengths to reduce the many negative impacts of early life adversity.

Early child care experiences and attachment representations at age 18 years: Evidence from the NICHD study of Early Child Care and Youth Development.

The role of early child care experiences on the development of the mother-child attachment relationship has been studied extensively. However, no prospective studies of early child care have addressed how these experiences might be reflected in the content of attachment representations during adolescence and beyond. The goal of this study was to estimate relatively precise associations between child care quality, child care quantity, and type of care in the first 54 months of life and the content of adolescents' attachment representations around age 18 years (N = 857; 51% female; 78% White, non-Hispanic; M income-to-needs ratio = 4.13), leveraging data from the longitudinal NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (SECCYD). We identified a small positive association between the observed quality of early child care (but not quantity or type of care) and secure attachment states of mind as measured by the Adult Attachment Interview (but not the Attachment Script Assessment) at age 18 years that was robust to demographic covariates and observations of maternal and paternal sensitivity during childhood. We observed no significant interactions among child care variables. Associations between early child care experiences and indicators of adolescent attachment were likewise not moderated by maternal sensitivity from infancy to mid-adolescence or by maternal reports of child temperament in early childhood.

Preexisting Executive Function Deficits and Change in Health Behaviors During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

BackgroundExecutive functions (EF) support engagement in goal-directed behaviors, including several health behaviors. Stressful and cognitively demanding events can disrupt EFs and interfere with health behavior, possibly to a greater extent in those with preexisting EF deficits. This study examined the association between preexisting EF deficits and subsequent negative changes in eating patterns, physical activity, sedentariness, and alcohol/substance use during the COVID-19 pandemic.MethodParticipants were 374 young adults in a follow-up study of the longitudinal, multisite Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (SECCYD). Preexisting EF deficits were assessed with the Barkley Deficits in Executive Function Scales-Short Form, and personally impactful negative changes in four health behaviors (physical activity, unhealthy eating, sedentary time, alcohol/substance use) during the COVID-19 pandemic were subsequently assessed with the Epidemic-Pandemic Impacts Inventory.ResultsIn ordered logistic regression models, higher preexisting total EF deficits were associated with greater negative impactful changes in physical activity and unhealthy eating, independent of sociodemographic variables, obesity, and (as relevant) accelerometer-based physical activity and pre-COVID-19 diet quality. Socioeconomic status moderated the association between total EF deficits and impactful change in alcohol/substance use, with EF deficits linked to greater impactful change in alcohol/substance use only in higher socioeconomic strata.ConclusionIndividuals with preexisting EF deficits appear more vulnerable to the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on several key health behaviors. As the pandemic unfolds, strategies may be needed to identify those with EF deficits (e.g., screening tools) and provide them with tailored support for chronic disease risk reduction.

The development of cooperation and self-control in middle childhood: Associations with earlier maternal and paternal parenting.

Developmental theories and previous research have emphasized the significance of cooperation and self-control in middle childhood. The present study extends previous research by examining (a) the growth of cooperation and self-control as well as the relations between them in middle childhood (third to sixth grade) and (b) the extent to which mothers' and fathers' parenting during early childhood (54 months and first grade) was associated with children's cooperation and self-control. The sample included 705 children (51% female, 86% White) and their mothers, fathers, and teachers in the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (SECCYD). Children, on average, exhibited increases in self-control but not cooperation from third to sixth grade though the increases were smaller for children who had higher self-control or cooperation at third grade. Children who exhibited higher self-control at third grade tended to exhibit higher cooperation at third grade; similar positive associations emerged for the changes in self-control and cooperation over time. In addition, if a child exhibited higher self-control at one time point relative to their typical average level, they tended to also exhibit higher cooperation at the same time point relative to their typical average level. However, these relative deviations within person were not associated over time. Lastly, maternal and paternal sensitive and stimulating parenting in early childhood was positively associated with children's cooperation and self-control in middle childhood. Overall, our findings shed light on the growth of and the relations between cooperation and self-control in middle childhood and highlight the role of maternal and paternal parenting in early childhood. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).