Further validation of the Child Routines Inventory (CRI): relationship to parenting practices, maternal distress, and child externalizing behavior

The importance of establishing predictable routines during early childhood has been consistently emphasized by parenting experts in the popular press, despite limited empirical study or understanding of their relationship to child behavior. The lack of research may be partially due to a lack of instruments suitable for measuring children’s routines. The Child Routines Inventory (CRI) was developed as an empirically based parent-report measure of commonly occurring routines in school-aged children. Since its development, the CRI has demonstrated moderate correlations with related constructs, including family routines, child behavior problems, parenting stress, and maternal depression. However, child routines have not been evaluated in relation to parenting practices. Furthermore, research on children’s daily stress has demonstrated a moderating impact of family routines on internalizing and externalizing behavior in children. The present study aimed 1) to further evaluate the psychometric properties of the CRI, 2) to determine factors that promote and disrupt routines in children, and 3) to examine the potential moderating role of children’s routines on the relationship between maternal distress and externalizing behavior problems. Participants included 153 mothers of children between the ages of 6 and 12, comprising a heterogeneous sample. Mothers completed measures of child routines, child adjustment, parental adjustment, and parenting practices, including the Child Routines Inventory, Behavior Assessment System for Children – Parent Report Form, Brief Symptom Inventory-18, Parent Behavior Inventory, Alabama Parenting Questionnaire, and a demographics questionnaire. Results provided additional support for the construct validity of the CRI, demonstrating strong evidence of convergent validity and weaker evidence of divergent validity. Hierarchical regression analysis suggested that positive parenting practices promote and negative parenting practices disrupt child routines, with parenting practices accounting for more variance in child routines than demographic factors or maternal distress. A second multivariate regression analysis indicated that while lack of child routines was significantly predictive of externalizing behavior problems, child routines did not moderate the impact of maternal distress on externalizing behavior problems. Future studies should continue to develop and validate the CRI and further explore the function of child routines within parenting models

Child Routines Moderate Daily Hassles and Children\u27s Psychological Adjustment

This study examined child routines as a moderator of the relation between children\u27s daily hassles and internalizing and externalizing behavior problems. School and community children (n = 131) ages 8 through 12 reported on daily hassles, and their primary caregives reported on child routines and behavior problems. Moderated multiple regression indicated significant main effects for child routines. A significant interaction was found between children\u27s daily hassles and child routines for the internalizing mode, but not for the externalizing model. Children reporting more daily hassles had fewer internalizing behaviours when they also had more frequent child routines

Development and Evaluation of the Pediatric Diabetes Routines Questionnaire

This study describes the development of the Pediatric Diabetes Routines Questionnaire (PDRQ), a parent-report measure of diabetes-specific routines in youth with diabetes. Participants were 198 parents of youth with type 1 diabetes ages 5 through 17. The PDRQ and measures of general child routines, family rituals, diabetes treatment adherence, and diabetes-specific family behaviors were administered. Principal components analysis revealed two components, daily regimen routines and technical/situational routines, which sum to form a total score. The PDRQ has strong initial psychometric properties, including good internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and validity coefficients. Overall, promising results for the PDRQ are reported

Child Routines and Self-Regulation Serially Mediate Parenting Practices and Externalizing Problems in Preschool Children

BackgroundStudies clearly indicate that parenting practices relate to child externalizing behaviors, although the mechanisms underlying this relation are less well understood. There has been limited evaluation of child routines and self-regulation in relation to these variables, and no known studies have evaluated all of these variables simultaneously. ObjectiveThis study examined child routines and self-regulation as serial mediators of the relations between positive and negative parenting practices (separately) and child externalizing problems among preschool children. MethodsParticipants included 146 maternal caregivers of preschool children who completed measures of their parenting practices and of their child’s daily routines, self-regulation, and externalizing behaviors. ResultsResults demonstrated that both child routines and self-regulation are significant mechanisms through which negative and positive parenting practices relate to externalizing problems in preschoolers, although the temporal sequencing was only upheld with respect to negative parenting. Our findings offer preliminary evidence that child routines may play a critical role in self-regulation development among preschool children, which, in turn, is inversely associated with externalizing behaviors. ConclusionAlthough further study is needed, these findings suggest that child routines and self-regulation development may be key components to incorporate clinically and evaluate empirically among intervention programs designed to prevent early development of behavior problems in preschool children

Development and Preliminary Evaluation of the Bedtime Routines Questionnaire

In the past, child bedtime routines have been examined through observation or sleep diaries. These methods are often expensive and hinder study comparisons due to lack of consistent operational definitions of routines. This article describes the development and psychometric evaluation of the Bedtime Routines Questionnaire (BRQ), a 31-item paper-and-pencil, parent-report measure of children\u27s bedtime routines. The BRQ and related measures were completed by 226 caregivers of children ages 2 to 8. The BRQ demonstrated a solid factor structure, adequate internal consistency, and fair validity coefficients. Overall, promising results for the BRQ are reported

Correlates of Psychomotor Symptoms In Autism

Stereotypical behaviors are defined as repetitive motor or vocal responses that serve no obvious adaptive function. The current diagnostic classification system, the DSM-IV-TR, includes the presence of stereotypical behaviors of interest in its criteria for autism. Rescarch suggests that as many as 85% of children with autism exhibit relative behaviors or mannerisms. However, stereotypical behaviors are not specific to autism and are associated with other disorders such as Tourette\u27s syndrome, schlzophrenia, and mental retardation. Although the DSM-IV-TR criteria for stereotypical behaviors, as outlined in the diagnostic criteria for autistic disorder, focuses on motor symptoms that tend to occur in excess (e.g., twirling, spinning, head-banging), a broader conceptualization of the types of motor abnormalities observed in individuals with autism has been proposed more recently. Stereotyped patterns of behavior include not only excessive atypical movement but also the loss of typical movement (e.g., catatonia) in this broader definition. support for this definition is evidenced by both clinical observations and empirical research. Research examining the overlap between catatonia and other stereotypic behaviors among individuals with autism suggest that the greatest risk for catatonic behaviors occurs in adolescence and may be precipitated by stressful events. Assessment tools for autism often include some measure of stereotyped behaviors and interest, but the presence of stereotypy is not in and of itself a pathiognomonic sign of autism. Focusing primarily on the presence of classic stereotypical behaviors in diagnoses may subsequently lead to overidentifying autism in very young or mentally retarded individuals. A number of theories have been proposed over the years to explain the function and etiology of stereotypical behaviors. Lovaas and his colleagues, for example, proposed that the sensory and perceptual stimuli created through repetitive behaviors may be self stimulating. Others suggest that stereotypical behaviors are maintained by socially mediated positive and negative reinforcers; whereas biological theories focus on dysfunctions in the serotonin, opioid, and dopaminergic systems in the brain

Differential Relations Between Mothers\u27 and Fathers\u27 Parenting Practices and Child Externalizing Behavior

We examined differences in mothers\u27 and fathers\u27 parenting practices in relation to child externalizing behavior. Data were collected from a community sample of 135 cohabiting couples with a child aged 6-12. The couples were recruited through undergraduate and graduate students. Both parents were required to complete a series of questionnaires assessing demographic, parental, and child variables. Results indicated that after controlling for parental depression and marital conflict, all parenting variables were significantly related to child externalizing behavior; however, parent and/or child sex moderated these relations. Specifically, parental involvement was only significant for fathers and sons, positive parenting was only significant for mothers and sons, poor monitoring/supervision was only significant for girls, and only mothers\u27 inconsistent discipline was related to externalizing behavior. These results offer practical information regarding identification of children at risk for behavioral problems, as well as potential targets for prevention and intervention

Development and Validation of the Pediatric Diabetes Routines Questionnaire for Adolescents

This study describes the development and psychometric evaluation of an adolescent self-report version of the Pediatric Diabetes Routines Questionnaire (PDRQ:A), a measure of diabetes-specific routines for youth with type 1 diabetes, and further validation of the parent-version (PDRQ:P) in an adolescent sample. Participants included 120 parent–adolescent dyads (ages 12–17) and an additional 24 parents who completed measures of diabetes-specific adolescent routines, general adolescent routines, diabetes self-care, and family support of youth diabetes care. The PDRQ:P/A demonstrated good internal consistency, test–retest reliability, and parent–child agreement, and adequate validity coefficients. Confirmatory factor analysis supported a one-factor model. Promising results were obtained. The PDRQ:P/A is a clinically feasible parent- and self-report measure that can provide valuable information regarding how frequently adolescents engage in their diabetes management tasks in a consistent manner. Addition of an adolescent report format will enhance the utility of the measure for clinical and research use