Paternal, infant, and social contextual characteristics as determinants of competent parental functioning by fathers with young infants

The purpose of this investigation was to examine factors considered salient to competent parental functioning by fathers with infants. Only recently has fathers' ability to be sensitive, competent parents for infants been recognized. The void remaining in our knowledge of competent parenting by fathers is an identification and understanding of factors associated with fathers' sensitive involvement with infants. The current study sought to explore the association of paternal, infant, and social contextual characteristics with fathers' behaviors during father-infant play. Sixty couples completed questionnaires when their infants were three months old. Fathers completed measures of locus of control, knowledge of infant development, beliefs of effective parenting practices, value of parenthood, infant temperament, spousal support, and participation in infant care activities. Mothers completed measures of infant temperament, paternal participation in infant care activities, and demographic information. When the infants were five to six months old, fathers were observed interacting with their infants in a free-play situation

Relationship of Parent-Child Temperament and Parent Responsivity on Language Outcomes in Autistic Children

The purpose of this quantitative, correlational study was to investigate the relationship between parent and child temperament on language acquisition as well as the relationship between parent responsivity and parent-child temperament in autistic children. Participants were 25 parent-child dyads of autistic children between the ages 2 and 8 years of age (18 boys, 7 girls). Parents provided ratings of their temperament and their child’s temperament. The child’s expressive language, receptive language, and receptive vocabulary were assessed by a licensed speech-language pathologist. Parents’ engagement with their children were rated by undergraduate research assistants blind to the study using a Likert rating scale for parent-responsive behaviors. There were several significant findings in the 2-year-old and 3- to 6-year-old age groups. In the 2-year-old age group, significant correlation coefficients were found for the associations between adult effortful control and the autistic child’s language, child extraversion and their language, parent responsivity and adult extraversion and negative affect, and finally parent responsivity and child effortful control. Then in the 3- to 6-year age group, there was a significant positive correlation between the autistic child’s negative affect and their expressive language. Lastly, in the 7- to 8-year age group, there was a near significant association between adult effortful control and the autistic child’s language. Overall, these findings indicate the importance of identifying the parent's and child's temperament and the impact both have on the autistic child’s language and their parent’s responsive behaviors to enhance the therapy model and improve relationships to maximize the child’s ability to acquire language

Chipping Away at the Monolith: Dispelling the Myth of Father Noninvolvement in Children\u27s Early Literacy Development

Current research stresses the importance of parent involvement in their children \u27s academic development. Parents reading and writing with their young children is shown to prepare them for the benefits of for ma I education. Studies completed on parent participation in early literacy activities have tended to look at mothers \u27 role. Few researchers have investigated the contributions fathers have made. The results of a study completed on father-child early literacy practices are presented. Fathers reported engaging in reading and writing activities with their children for three reasons: To prepare their children for school, to bond with their children, and to assist their children in language skill development. Recommendations are provided on how to encourage fathers to participate in early literacy practice

The Knights of the Round Table: The Mediating Role of Parental Self-efficacy and Parental Stress in Explaining Family Mealtime Predicting Child Behavior in MTurk Families

The current study examined how shared family meals influence low negative behavior in children via parental perceived stress and parental self-efficacy in children between the age three and six. Using a parallel mediation analysis, multiple regression analyses were conducted for 204 participants. Results indicated parental perceived stress to be a mediator in the relationship of the structure of shared family mealtimes and negative child affectivity, in contrast parental self-efficacy was not. Additionally, interesting results were conveyed from exploratory Hypothesis 1. First, there were a total of 94 mothers and 102 fathers who completed the study. Significant correlations were depicted between participant age and the structure of shared family mealtimes, the total number of adults aged 18 and older in the household and problematic child behaviors, parental concern about child’s diet and how much of a problem it is for parents when children display problematic child behaviors, target child age and how much of a problem it is for parents when children display problematic child behaviors. In addition, two significant negative correlations were found between target child age and spousal stress related to child’s mealtime behaviors along with total number of children less than 6 years old and the use of food as a reward. Applying a developmental lens on research surrounding shared family mealtimes provides important implications as to how routines and parent-child interaction influence child behavior

Infant self-regulation and body mass index in early childhood

BACKGROUND: Poor self-regulation during preschool and early school age years is associated with rapid weight gain. However, the association between self-regulatory capacities in infancy and weight status in early childhood has not been well studied. Objective: Examine prospective associations between infant self-regulation and body mass index (BMI) in early childhood. We hypothesized that infants exhibiting less optimal self-regulation would be at greater risk of obesity at 3–5 years of life. METHODS: We used data from 5750 children in the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Birth Cohort (ECLS-B), excluding premature infants and infants small or large for gestational age. Our primary predictor was infant self-regulation measured at age 9 months by parent completion of the Infant Toddler Symptom Checklist (ITSC). We defined child obesity at preschool and kindergarten age (approximately 4 years and 5–6 years respectively) as a body mass index (BMI) ≥ 95th percentile for age and sex by US Centers for Disease Control growth charts. We created logistic regression models comparing risk of obesity at preschool and kindergarten age in infants with ITSC scores ≥ 6 to infants with scores < 6, controlling for covariates. RESULTS: Twenty-one percent of children with ITSC scores ≥ 6 at 9 months were obese at preschool age compared to 16% of children with lower ITSC scores. At kindergarten age this difference decreased to 18% vs. 16% respectively. After adjusting for covariates, infants with ITSC scores ≥ 6 had 32% increased odds of being obese at preschool age (aOR 1.32; 95% CI: 1.03, 1.70) though this association decreased at kindergarten age (aOR 1.07; 95% CI: 0.79, 1.45). CONCLUSIONS: Poor infant self-regulation at 9 months is associated with an increased risk of obesity at preschool entry but not at kindergarten entry. Helping parents manage and respond to children’s self-regulation difficulties prior to preschool age may serve as a focal point for future interventions.2016-12-01T00:00:00

Exploring the Influence of Parents\u27 Beliefs and Behaviors on Children\u27s Developing Executive Function

Executive function (EF) is a multi-component construct responsible for higher-order thinking abilities such as problem solving, goal-setting, and attentional flexibility (Jurado & Rosselli, 2007). Executive functions are associated with the prefrontal cortex, a region of the brain that undergoes substantial growth and modification from birth to age five. For young children, EF supports behavioral and social adjustment and is predictive of future academic achievement (Brock, Rimm-Kaufman, Nathanson & Grimm, 2007). The neurobiological components of EF have been extensively researched, but only recently have socio-environmental influences come to light. This ecological perspective may be of particular importance for children growing up in low-income households, who tend to demonstrate weaker performance on EF-related tasks (Hackman, Gallop, Evans & Farah, 2015). Parents and/or primary caregivers serve as one vital component of children’s early environments. Preliminary research investigating parent behaviors – such as scaffolding, stimulation, sensitivity/responsivity vs. hostility/rejection, and control – (as observed during specific tasks) affect the development of children’s EF. The contributions of parents’ knowledge about effective parenting and their self-reported behaviors, however, have not been explored. The current study investigated the independent influences of parents’ behaviors, parenting knowledge, and involvement on young children’s developing EF. A secondary aim of the study was to better understand and characterize parents’ knowledge and beliefs. 52 parent-child dyads from three early childcare centers in the metro-Atlanta area participated in the study. Hierarchical regression analyses were used to determine the unique variance in children’s EF accounted for by parent variables. Parents’ use of non-reasoning, punitive strategies negatively contributed to children’s inhibitory control and their good-natured/easygoingness positively contributed to their set-shifting abilities. Parents’ knowledge about parenting practices did not significantly contribute to children’s EF. Findings from this study inform existing research demonstrating an association between children’s EF and parenting practices and provides new knowledge regarding normative and non-normative parenting knowledge and practices for the specific population