Evaluations of ingroup and outgroup as a function of threat moderated by procedural just world beliefs.

Ingroup and outgroup evaluations were investigated as a function of prototypicality threat and distinctiveness threat manipulations, with Procedural Just World beliefs as a moderator. Ninety university undergraduates were randomly assigned to 4 groups: high prototypicality-high distinctiveness, high prototypicality-low distinctiveness, low prototypicality-high distinctiveness, and low prototypicality-low distinctiveness. Participants were given bogus feedback on a bogus personality test. Levels of favouritism and derogation on both ingroup and outgroup were measured. Results supported that predictions of Brewer (1991, 2007)‟s optimal distinctiveness theory may only be reflective of public but not private manifestations of individuals‟ behaviours. In the present study, Procedural Just World beliefs failed to moderate the effects of social identity threats.Bachelor of Art

When threatened by own-group and others, to please or disengage?

Threats from both distinctiveness with the outgroup and prototypicality as an ingroup members were introduced, and the interacting effect of both threats along with ingroup identification on inter- and intra-group evaluations were investigated. Based on various social identity theories, it is predicted that under the above mentioned two threats, high identifiers are likely to show accentuated ingroup bias, whereas low identifiers have the highest tendency to leave the group through and is expressed through the lowered exertion of ingroup bias. The results, though weak, revealed support for the predicted hypothesis.Bachelor of Art

The role of ethnicity and socioeconomic status in Southeast Asian mothers’ parenting sensitivity

Past research indicates that socioeconomic status (SES) accounts for differences in sensitivity across ethnic groups. However, comparatively little work has been conducted in Asia, with none examining whether ethnicity moderates the relation between SES and sensitivity. We assessed parenting behavior in 293 Singaporean citizen mothers of 6-month olds (153 Chinese, 108 Malay, 32 Indian) via the Maternal Behavioral Q-Sort for video interactions. When entered into the same model, SES (F(1,288) = 17.777, p &lt;.001), but not ethnicity, predicted maternal sensitivity (F(2,288) =.542, p =.582). However, this positive relation between SES and sensitivity was marginally moderated by ethnicity. SES significantly positively predicted sensitivity in Chinese, but not Malay dyads. Within Indian dyads, SES marginally positively predicted sensitivity only when permanent residents were included in analyses. We discuss the importance of culture on perceived SES-associated stress. However, because few university-educated Malays participated, we also consider whether university education, specifically, positively influences sensitivity.</p

Caregiving adversity during infancy and preschool cognitive function: Adaptations to context?

10.1017/S2040174420001348Journal of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease1-1

Maternal sensitivity during infancy and the regulation of startle in preschoolers

Attachment & Human Development222207-22

Maternal Anxiety, Parenting Stress, and Preschoolers' Behavior Problems: The Role of Child Self-Regulation

OBJECTIVE: Maternal anxiety is a well-known risk factor for early childhood behavior problems. In this study, we explore (1) whether parenting stress mediates this relation and also (2) whether child factors, namely self-regulation, modify the influence of maternal well-being on child externalizing and internalizing problems at 4 years of age. METHOD: Mothers taking part in the Growing Up in Singapore Towards Healthy Outcomes cohort completed the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory when their children were 24 months of age. At 42 months of age, children performed a self-regulation task (n = 391), and mothers completed the Parenting Stress Index. When children were 48 months old, both parents completed the Child Behavior Checklist. RESULTS: As predicted, parenting stress mediated the relation between maternal trait anxiety and child externalizing and internalizing problems. This mediating effect was further moderated by child self-regulation. The indirect effect of maternal trait anxiety through parenting stress on child externalizing problems was stronger among children with low self-regulation. CONCLUSION: Parenting stress is an additional pathway connecting maternal trait anxiety and children's externalizing and internalizing behavior problems. The risk for child externalizing problems conveyed by elevated maternal trait anxiety and parenting stress may be buffered by better self-regulation in 4-year-olds. These results suggest that interventions that include decreasing parenting stress and enhancing child self-regulation may be important to limiting the transgenerational impact of maternal trait anxiety

Maternal distress and parenting during COVID-19: differential effects related to pre-pandemic distress?

Abstract Background Distinguishing whether and how pre-existing characteristics impact maternal responses to adversity is difficult: Does prior well-being decrease the likelihood of encountering stressful experiences? Does it protect against adversity’s negative effects? We examine whether the interaction between relatively uniformly experienced adversity (due to COVID-19 experience) and individual variation in pre-existing (i.e., pre-pandemic onset) distress predicted mothers’ pandemic levels of distress and insensitive caregiving within a country reporting low COVID-19 death rates, and strict nationwide regulations. Method Fifty-one Singaporean mothers and their preschool-aged children provided data across two waves. Pre- pandemic onset maternal distress (i.e., psychological distress, anxiety, and parenting stress) was captured via self-reports and maternal sensitivity was coded from videos. Measures were repeated after the pandemic’s onset along with questionnaires concerning perceived COVID-19 adversity (e.g., COVID-19’s impact upon stress caring for children, housework, job demands, etc.) and pandemic-related objective experiences (e.g., income, COVID-19 diagnoses, etc.). Regression analyses (SPSS v28) considered pre-pandemic onset maternal distress, COVID-19 stress, and their interaction upon post-pandemic onset maternal distress. Models were re-run with appropriate covariates (e.g., objective experience) when significant findings were observed. To rule out alternative models, follow up analyses (PROCESS Model) considered whether COVID-19 stress mediated pre- and post-pandemic onset associations. Models involving maternal sensitivity followed a similar data analytic plan. Results Pre-pandemic maternal distress moderated the association between COVID-19 perceived stress and pandemic levels of maternal distress (β = 0.22, p < 0.01) but not pandemic assessed maternal sensitivity. Perceived COVID-19 stress significantly contributed to post-pandemic onset maternal distress for mothers with pre-pandemic onset distress scores above (β = 0.30, p = 0.05), but not below (β = 0.25, p = 0.24), the median. Objective COVID-19 adversity did not account for findings. Post-hoc analyses did not suggest mediation via COVID-19 stress from pre-pandemic to pandemic maternal distress. Conclusions Pre-existing risk may interact with subsequent perceptions of adversity to impact well-being. In combination with existing research, this small study suggests prevention programs should focus upon managing concurrent mental health and may highlight the importance of enhanced screening and proactive coping programs for people entering high stress fields and/or phases of life

Maternal Anxiety, Parenting Stress, and Preschoolers' Behavior Problems: The Role of Child Self-Regulation

OBJECTIVE: Maternal anxiety is a well-known risk factor for early childhood behavior problems. In this study, we explore (1) whether parenting stress mediates this relation and also (2) whether child factors, namely self-regulation, modify the influence of maternal well-being on child externalizing and internalizing problems at 4 years of age. METHOD: Mothers taking part in the Growing Up in Singapore Towards Healthy Outcomes cohort completed the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory when their children were 24 months of age. At 42 months of age, children performed a self-regulation task (n = 391), and mothers completed the Parenting Stress Index. When children were 48 months old, both parents completed the Child Behavior Checklist. RESULTS: As predicted, parenting stress mediated the relation between maternal trait anxiety and child externalizing and internalizing problems. This mediating effect was further moderated by child self-regulation. The indirect effect of maternal trait anxiety through parenting stress on child externalizing problems was stronger among children with low self-regulation. CONCLUSION: Parenting stress is an additional pathway connecting maternal trait anxiety and children's externalizing and internalizing behavior problems. The risk for child externalizing problems conveyed by elevated maternal trait anxiety and parenting stress may be buffered by better self-regulation in 4-year-olds. These results suggest that interventions that include decreasing parenting stress and enhancing child self-regulation may be important to limiting the transgenerational impact of maternal trait anxiety