Family Expressivity: Caregiver Differences and Child Emotional Reactivity

Education and Human Ecology: 1st Place (The Ohio State University Edward F. Hayes Graduate Research Forum)This study considered the process by which children emotionally develop within the context of the child’s environment, as families and especially caregivers play an important role in socializing emotional understanding and expression. We investigated how maternal characteristics, including depression and sensitivity, influenced child emotional reactivity over time, while also considering how overall family expressivity, both maternal and paternal, mediated this association. Data were drawn from the NICHD Study of Early Childcare and Youth Development. The current sample included data from grades three, four, five and six; and includes 710 children with mothers and fathers or mother’s partners (MP). Mothers’ depression and sensitivity towards their children were assessed. Additionally, mothers’ and MPs’ level of expressivity within the family and child emotional reactivity were measured across time. Latent growth modeling was used to analyze the relationships between both maternal sensitivity and depression and later child emotional reactivity, including family expressivity as a mediator. The results of this study revealed that child emotional reactivity was related to earlier levels of maternal depression and sensitivity. Furthermore, this relationship was mediated by positive emotional expressivity within the family; however, these relationships differed depending on mother or father/MP influence. Both mothers’ and father/MPs’ positive emotional expressivity at grade three mediated the relationship between maternal sensitivity and child emotional reactivity at grade four. However, only the maternal model showed a mediational relationship with maternal depression. These findings highlight the differences between caregiver perception and influence, and they suggest areas for intervention when working with the whole family or only the mother-child subsystem.A three-year embargo was granted for this item

Maternal Emotion and Depressive Symptoms in Relation to Child Outcomes: A Person-Centered Approach

Education and Human Ecology: 1st Place (The Ohio State University Edward F. Hayes Graduate Research Forum)Mothers influence the manner in which children are socialized and learn to express and regulate their emotions (Eisenberg et al., 1998). Furthermore, certain maternal characteristics and behaviors influence this development in children, including mother’s emotion expression (Kochanska & Askan, 2004), emotionality (Eisenberg et al., 2000), depressive symptoms (Silk et al., 2006), and stress (Crnic et al., 2005); however, these characteristics are generally considered independently using variable-centered methods, and we do not have a clear understanding of their interconnectedness and co-occurrence. The current study utilizes a person-centered approach in order to investigate differing maternal profiles, defined by characteristics that have been shown to influence child emotional development, in relation to child emotion regulation and problem behaviors. Participants include 100 mothers with children (M = 3.19, SD = 0.18), recruited from the Columbus, OH area. When the child was three years old, mothers and children participated in a lab visit and mothers completed questionnaires. Mother and child observed emotion was assessed during two interaction play tasks, clean-up and Tickle-Me-Elmo, which were coded for second-by-second expressions of positive and negative affect. The mothers completed the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS-X; Watson, & Clark, 1994), assessing positive and negative emotionality; the Parenting Daily Hassle questionnaire (PDH; Crnic & Greenberg, 1990), which assessed the frequency and intensity of parenting stress; and the Beck Depression Inventory-2nd Edition (BDI-II; Becket al., 1996) for depressive symptoms. Mothers also completed the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL; Achenbach & Rescorla, 2001) for child internalizing and externalizing problems. A cluster analysis was conducted, classifying distinct maternal profiles defined by observed positive emotion expression and reported positive and negative emotionality, depressive symptoms, and parenting stress frequency and intensity. Four profiles were identified, labeled Happy (n = 32; high positive emotion/low negative emotion both observed and reported, low depressive symptoms and stress), Intense (n = 12; high observed positive emotion and reported negative emotionality, elevated depressive symptoms), Flat (n = 34; low observed positive emotion, average reported positive emotionality, low stress), and Distressed (n = 22; high negative emotionality, depressive symptoms, and stress, low observed positive emotion). A hierarchical regression analysis revealed that, the profiles were associated with child outcomes, including observed positive (F(6, 96) = 2.17, p = .05) and negative (χ2(6) = 14.83, = .02) emotion expression during the Elmo task, as well as internalizing (F(6, 93) = 3.60, p = .003) and externalizing (F(6, 93) = 7.56, p < .001) behaviors; however, only the Distressed profile was related to negative child outcomes. The results suggest that maternal characteristics interact and co-occur differently across individuals and children may only experience negative outcomes when maternal characteristics are consistently negative. This suggests that it may be possible for clinicians working with depressed mothers and their children to tailor interventions for any one of the identified maternal characteristics in order to alleviate child risk.No embarg

New academics’ experiences of induction to teaching: an Activity Theory approach

In this article we present findings of a research project investigating the experiences of new academics in the process of becoming effective teachers, using an Activity Theory framework (Engestrom, 2001 ). The research was undertaken in a post-92 university that has shifted from teaching and professional development to prioritise a new emphasis on research. However, all academics have a dual responsibility for teaching and research. The project brought us together as education developers who were involved in the induction of academics into teaching across six departments. We shared a common aim in trying to understand the issues faced by new academics in their various disciplines and departments, in order to improve their induction experience and provide an enhanced CPD offer

Well@Work: promoting active and healthy workplaces

Well@Work: promoting active and healthy workplace

Experiences of using digital mindfulness-based interventions: Rapid scoping review and thematic synthesis

Background: Digital mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) are a promising approach to deliver accessible and scalable mindfulness training and have been shown to improve a range of health outcomes. However, the success of digital MBIs is reliant on adequate engagement, which remains a crucial challenge. Understanding people’s experiences of using digital MBIs and identifying the core factors that facilitate or act as barriers to engagement is essential to inform intervention development and maximize engagement and outcomes. Objective: This study aims to systematically map the literature on people’s experiences of using digital MBIs that target psychosocial variables (eg, anxiety, depression, distress, and well-being) and identify key barriers to and facilitators of engagement. Methods: We conducted a scoping review to synthesize empirical qualitative research on people’s experiences of using digital MBIs. We adopted a streamlined approach to ensure that the evidence could be incorporated into the early stages of intervention development. The search strategy identified articles with at least one keyword related to mindfulness, digital, user experience, and psychosocial variables in their title or abstract. Inclusion criteria specified that articles must have a qualitative component, report on participants’ experiences of using a digital MBI designed to improve psychosocial variables, and have a sample age range that at least partially overlapped with 16 to 35 years. Qualitative data on user experience were charted and analyzed using inductive thematic synthesis to generate understandings that go beyond the content of the original studies. We used the Quality of Reporting Tool to critically appraise the included sources of evidence. Results: The search identified 510 studies, 22 (4.3%) of which met the inclusion criteria. Overall, the samples were approximately 78% female and 79% White; participants were aged between 16 and 69 years; and the most used measures in intervention studies were mindfulness, psychological flexibility, and variables related to mental health (including depression, anxiety, stress, and well-being). All studies were judged to be adequately reported. We identified 3 themes characterizing barriers to and facilitators of engagement: responses to own practice (ie, negative reactions to one’s own practice are common and can deplete motivation), making mindfulness a habit (ie, creating a consistent training routine is essential yet challenging), and leaning on others (ie, those engaging depend on someone else for support). Conclusions: The themes identified in this review provide crucial insights as to why people frequently stop engaging with digital MBIs. Researchers and developers should consider using person-based coparticipatory methods to improve acceptability of and engagement with digital MBIs, increase their effectiveness, and support their translation to real-world use. Such strategies must be grounded in relevant literature and meet the priorities and needs of the individuals who will use the interventions

What are the correlates of hearing aid use for people living with dementia?

Objectives: To identify correlates of hearing aid use in people with dementia and age-related hearing loss. Methods: Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses of predictor variables from 239 participants with dementia and hearing loss in the European SENSE-Cog Randomized Controlled Trial (Cyprus, England, France, Greece, and Ireland). Results: In multivariate analysis, four variables were significantly associated with hearing aid use: greater self-perceived hearing difficulties (OR 2.61 [CI 1.04−6.55]), lower hearing acuity (OR .39 [CI .2−.56]), higher cognitive ability (OR 1.19 [CI 1.08−1.31]), and country of residence. Participants in England had significantly increased odds of use compared to Cyprus (OR .36 [CI .14−.96]), France (OR .12 [CI .04−.34]) or Ireland (OR .05 [CI .01−.56]) but not Greece (OR 1.13 [CI .42–3.00]). Conclusions: Adapting interventions to account for cognitive ability, country of residence, self-perceived hearing difficulties, and hearing acuity may support hearing aid use in people with dementia