Emotion socialization and internalizing behavior problems in diverse youth: A bidirectional relationship across childhood.

Mothers' and fathers' emotion socialization (ES) practices have been widely associated with child socioemotional outcomes. To extend this research, we examined the bidirectional relationship between parent ES practices (supportive and non-supportive parenting) and internalizing behavior problems in children of Anglo and Latino parents. Participants were 182 mothers and 162 fathers and their children with or without intellectual disability (ID). We compared the stability of mother and father ES practices across child ages 4-8. We utilized cross-lagged panel modeling to examine the bidirectional relationship between parents' ES and child internalizing behavior problems. Emotion socialization practices differed across time by parent gender, with mothers displaying higher levels of supportive parenting and lower levels of non-supportive parenting than fathers. Cross-lagged panel models revealed differential relationships between child internalizing behaviors and emotion socialization practices by parent gender and by ethnicity. Implications for intervening with culturally diverse families of children with ID are discussed

Early childhood predictors of global competence in adolescence for youth with typical development or intellectual disability

BACKGROUND AND AIMS:We aimed to determine whether a second-order global competence latent factor could be identified as underlying relations between adolescent mental health, social skills, and academic functioning. A secondary aim was to test whether early childhood characteristics predict adolescent global competence. A final aim was to test differences in these models across youth with typical cognitive development (TD) or intellectual disability (ID). METHODS AND PROCEDURES:Participants were 246 youth with TD (n = 148) or ID (n = 98), with assessments from early childhood (3, 4, 5 years) and adolescence (13, 15). These youths' parents and teachers provided measures. A Multiple Indicator, Multiple Causes (MIMIC) model was tested using structural equation modeling, in which parenting, maternal depression, and emotional dysregulation in early childhood were entered as predictors of adolescent global competence. OUTCOMES AND RESULTS:A second-order global competence factor emerged, and was predicted by early childhood variables. The final MIMIC model demonstrated excellent fit. Negative parenting in early childhood predicted lower adolescent global competence for both TD and ID youth. Maternal depression predicted adolescent global competence only for youth with ID, while emotion dysregulation predicted only for youth with TD. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS:Results have implications for longitudinal mechanisms of influence and early intervention targets for specific populations

Emergent Life Events: An In-Depth Investigation of Characteristics and Provider Responses during Youth Evidence-Based Treatment.

Emergent life events (ELEs), or acute client stressors disclosed within psychotherapy sessions, are not addressed by many evidence-based psychosocial treatments (EBTs). Preliminary provider-report studies suggest that ELEs may interfere with effective EBT implementation. The present study offers a detailed, observational examination of ELEs and their impact on EBT within therapy sessions. Data were observationally coded from 274 sessions with 55 primarily low-income, Latino youth clients (58% male, ages 5-15) in the modular EBT condition (Modular Approach to Therapy for Children [MATCH]) of the Child STEPs California trial. The ELE Coding System-Revised was used to measure ELEs, their characteristics, and provider responses to ELEs, including provider adherence to MATCH. Interrater reliability was generally high. At least one ELE was identified in 13% of randomly selected sessions. ELEs ranged widely in content, and their characteristics did not cluster together. Providers responded more frequently to ELEs with non-EBT content (e.g., information gathering, empathy) than EBT content; use of the ELE as a "teaching moment" for EBT content was the least common response (40% of ELEs). Multilevel regression analyses revealed that compared to sessions without an ELE, ELE sessions were significantly associated with reduced provider adherence to MATCH. Within ELE sessions, higher client distress when discussing the ELE was associated with reduced provider adherence to MATCH, but only when ELE severity was high. Beyond provider report, observational measures indicate that ELEs are prevalent and unpredictable in community settings and disrupt EBT delivery. Findings can inform the development of structured ELE management procedures to enhance existing EBTs

Emergent Life Events: An In-Depth Investigation of Characteristics and Provider Responses during Youth Evidence-Based Treatment

Emergent life events (ELEs), or acute client stressors disclosed within psychotherapy sessions, are not addressed by many evidence-based psychosocial treatments (EBTs). Preliminary provider-report studies suggest that ELEs may interfere with effective EBT implementation. The present study offers a detailed, observational examination of ELEs and their impact on EBT within therapy sessions. Data were observationally coded from 274 sessions with 55 primarily low-income, Latino youth clients (58% male, ages 5-15) in the modular EBT condition (Modular Approach to Therapy for Children [MATCH]) of the Child STEPs California trial. The ELE Coding System-Revised was used to measure ELEs, their characteristics, and provider responses to ELEs, including provider adherence to MATCH. Interrater reliability was generally high. At least one ELE was identified in 13% of randomly selected sessions. ELEs ranged widely in content, and their characteristics did not cluster together. Providers responded more frequently to ELEs with non-EBT content (e.g., information gathering, empathy) than EBT content; use of the ELE as a "teaching moment" for EBT content was the least common response (40% of ELEs). Multilevel regression analyses revealed that compared to sessions without an ELE, ELE sessions were significantly associated with reduced provider adherence to MATCH. Within ELE sessions, higher client distress when discussing the ELE was associated with reduced provider adherence to MATCH, but only when ELE severity was high. Beyond provider report, observational measures indicate that ELEs are prevalent and unpredictable in community settings and disrupt EBT delivery. Findings can inform the development of structured ELE management procedures to enhance existing EBTs

Emotion socialization and internalizing behavior problems in diverse youth: A bidirectional relationship across childhood

Mothers’ and fathers’ emotion socialization (ES) practices have been widely associated with child socioemotional outcomes. To extend this research, we examined the bidirectional relationship between parent ES practices (supportive and non-supportive parenting) and internalizing behavior problems in children of Anglo and Latino parents. Participants were 182 mothers and 162 fathers and their children with or without intellectual disability (ID). We compared the stability of mother and father ES practices across child ages 4 to 8. We utilized cross-lagged panel modeling to examine the bidirectional relationship between parents’ ES and child internalizing behavior problems. Emotion socialization practices differed across time by parent gender, with mothers displaying higher levels of supportive parenting and lower levels of non-supportive parenting than fathers. Cross-lagged panel models revealed differential relationships between child internalizing behaviors and emotion socialization practices by parent gender and by ethnicity. Implications for intervening with culturally diverse families of children with ID are discussed