Attachment Security among Toddlers: The Impacts of Supportive Coparenting and Father Engagement

The present study examined the longitudinal associations among supportive coparenting and father engagement during infancy and mother-child attachment at age three within an at-risk sample (N= 1371), using secondary data from Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing (FFCW) study. Mothers reported on coparenting and father engagement during the one-year phone interview and mother-child attachment was assessed using the Toddler Attachment Sort-39 (TAS-39) at age three during the three-year in-home interview. Findings suggest that supportive coparenting was significantly associated with higher levels of father engagement and more secure mother-child attachment relationship across three racial/ethnic groups including white, African American, and Hispanic. Interestingly, results also support racial/ethnic differences such that after controlling for child sex, infant temperament, family structure and maternal education, father engagement was a significant predictor of secure mother-child attachment only among Hispanic families. In addition, race/ethnicity moderated the link between supportive coparenting and father engagement such that the link was stronger among white families compared to minority families. Results highlight the significance of coparenting and father engagement in relation to mother-child attachment relationship. The implications of these findings for interventions targeting paternal engagement and coparenting among at-risk children are discussed

DEVELOPMENTAL PATHWAYS BETWEEN LOW BIRTH WEIGHT STATUS AND CHILDREN’S ACADEMIC AND SOCIOEMOTIONAL COMPETENCE: THE ROLE OF PARENTING PROCESSES AS A MODERATOR

The present study examined the longitudinal associations among moderate low birth weight (MLBW), parenting factors, and children’s developmental outcomes within an at-risk sample (N= 1,809), using secondary data from Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing (FFCW) study. Of particular interest was whether parenting factors moderate the associations between MLBW and indicators of both socioemotional and cognitive/academic competence. Birth weight and prenatal data were taken from medical records. Parenting factors were assessed during in-home assessments at ages 3 and 5. Mothers and teachers reported on externalizing behaviors and teachers reported on social skills at age 9. In addition, cognitive/academic outcomes were assessed using teacher reports and standardized assessments at age 9. Overall, findings suggest that MLBW was significantly associated with teacher reports of children\u27s socioemotional competence as well as cognitive/academic outcomes including receptive vocabulary, reading, and math achievement at age 9. These associations remained significant after accounting for a large battery of control variables; the exception was the link between MLBW status and parent\u27s report of externalizing behavior at age 9. Results also indicated that maternal warmth, but not parenting stress, moderated the longitudinal associations between MLBW and cognitive/academic outcomes and teacher-reported socioemotional competence. To conclude, these results highlight the significance of MLBW and positive parenting processes across diverse child outcomes. The implications of these findings are discussed for interventions targeting MLBW children within at-risk populations

Maternal Perspectives on Deployment and Child-Mother Relationships in Military Families

Using survey data from 292 mothers married to members of the U.S. military, the authors examined relations among military deployment factors, quality of maternal care, and child attachment behavior with the mother. The results revealed that maternal perceptions of quality of care, mothers' depressive symptoms, and fathers' involvement when not deployed were significantly associated with children's attachment behavior. In addition, fathers' combat exposure was negatively associated with children's attachment behavior. Mothers' quality of care partially mediated the association between fathers' involvement and children's attachment behavior as well as the association between mothers' depressive symptoms and children's attachment behavior. A notable finding of this study was that deployment-related factors were both directly and indirectly related to children's attachment