Disentangling the dyadic dance: Theoretical, methodological and outcomes systematic review of mother-infant dyadic processes

Background: During the last decades, the research on mother-infant dyad has produced a great amount of data, methods and theories, which largely contributed to set a revolution in the way we look at developmental changes during infancy and childhood. Very different constructs depict the different aspects of the "dyadic dance" occurring between a mother and her infant; nonetheless, a comprehensive and consistent systematization of these concepts in a coherent theoretical landscape is still lacking. Aim: In the present work, we aim at disentangling the different theoretical and methodological definitions of 9 dyadic constructs and we highlight their effects on infants' and children developmental outcomes. Methods: A literature search has been conducted on three databases-PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science. Three different reviews are reported here: (1) a review on the theoretical definitions of dyadic constructs; (2) a review of operational definitions, settings and methods of dyadic processes; (3) a systematic review of dyadic processes' outcomes for infants' and children developmental trajectories. Results: Two constructs emerged as wide meta-theoretical concepts (reciprocity and mutuality) and seven described specific processes (attunement, contingency, coordination, matching, mirroring, reparation, synchrony). A global model resuming the relationships among different processes is reported, which highlights the emergence of two specific cycles of dyadic functioning (i.e., matching-mismatching-reparation-synchrony; contingency, coordination, attunement, mirroring). A comprehensive review of the adopted measures is also provided. Finally, all the processes provided significant contributions to infants' behavioral, cognitive, and socio-emotional development during the first 3 years of age, but limited research has been conducted on specific processes (e.g. reparation and mirroring). Conclusion: The present study provides an original research-grounded framework to consider the different nature of mother-infant dyadic processes within a unified dyadic eco-system. Different levels of evidence emerged for the role of diverse mother-infant dyadic processes on infants' and children development. Open questions and future research directions are highlighted

Study protocol for the Preschooler Regulation of Emotional Stress (PRES) procedure

Background: Emotional stress regulation (ESR) rapidly develops during the first months of age and includes different behavioral strategies which largely contribute to children's behavioral and emotional adjustment later in life. The assessment of ESR during the first years of life is critical to identify preschool children who are at developmental risk. Although ESR is generally included in larger temperament batteries [e.g., the Laboratory Temperament Assessment Battery (Lab-TAB)], there is no standardized observational procedure to specifically assess and measure ESR in preschool aged children. Aim: Here, we describe the development of an observational procedure to assess ESR in preschool aged children [i.e., the Preschooler Regulation of Emotional Stress (PRES) Procedure] and the related coding system. Methods: Four Lab-TAB emotional stress episodes (i.e., the Stranger, the Perfect Circle, the Missing Sticker, and the Transparent Box) have been selected. Independent coders developed a list of ESR codes resulting in two general indexes (i.e., active engagement and stress level) and five specific indexes (i.e., anger, control, fear, inhibition, sadness). Finally, specific actions have been planned to assess the validity and the coding system reliability of PRES procedure. Ethics and Dissemination: The study has been approved by the Ethical Committee of the Scientific Institute IRCCS Eugenio Medea, Bosisio Parini (Italy). The PRES validation and reliability assessment as well as its use with healthy and at-risk populations of preschool children will be object of future scientific publications and international conference presentations

More than words: Methodological potentials of graphical elicitation with parents of preterm infants

BACKGROUND: Word-based tools, such as interviews, can only partially provide access to the lived experience of parents of preterm infants. This study explores the lived experience of parents of preterm infants between 3 and 6 months after discharge by means of visual method (i.e., graphical elicitation). METHODS: A qualitative study with graphic elicitation analysis was used to assess the lived experience of four parental couples of very preterm infants in a home-based session occurred between 3 and 6 months after Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) discharge. RESULTS: The use of graphical elicitation revealed three dimensions of the experience of being parents of preterm infants: 1) different use of time-lining elements suggested a different involvement of cognitive and/or emotional coping mechanisms in facing the unexpected birth and NICU stay; 2) the explicit or implicit use of emotional graphical elements and words was suggestive of different degrees of openness to disclose their experience; 3) the role of textual elements in support or substitution of graphical elements indicated different levels of integration of cognitive and emotional representations. CONCLUSIONS: The use of visual methods holds the potentials for revealing specific aspects of the parental experience of preterm birth and NICU stay. The clinical implications of this approach are further discussed with reference to its potential implementation within parental support intervention

Ontology-based semantic interoperability on the virtual materials marketplace

The marketplace-level domain ontologies from the Virtual Materials Marketplace (VIMMP) project are presented. It is discussed how a two-step ontology alignment approach can be employed for aligning the domain ontologies with the European Materials and Modelling Ontology (EMMO), the top-level ontology used by VIMMP. This is illustrated by an example from molecular modelling and simulation