Parenting and Attachment among Low-Income African-American and Caucasian Preschoolers

Despite a plethora of research on parenting and infant attachment, much less is known about the contributions of parenting to preschool attachment, particularly within different racial groups. This study seeks to build on the extant literature by evaluating whether similar associations between parenting and attachment can be observed in African American and Caucasian families, and whether race moderates them. Seventy-four primary caregivers and their preschool children (51% African American, 49% Caucasian, 46% male) from similar urban, low income backgrounds participated in two visits four weeks apart when children were between four and five years of age. Attachment was scored from videotapes of the Strange Situation paradigm using the preschool classification system developed by Cassidy, Marvin, and the MacArthur Working Group. Parenting was assessed using a multi-method, multi-context approach: in the child’s home, in the laboratory, and via parent-report. Seventy-three percent of the children were classified as securely attached. Warm, responsive parenting behavior (but not race) predicted attachment. Although parents of African American and Caucasian children demonstrated some significant differences in parenting behaviors, race did not moderate the relationship between parenting and child attachment. These findings highlight the direct role that parenting plays over and above race in determining attachment security during the preschool period

Attachment Predicts College Students’ Knowledge, Attitudes, and Skills for Working with Infants, Toddlers, and Families

Research Findings:Adults’ attitudes about attachment relationships are central to how they perceive and respond to children. However, little is known about how attachment styles are related to teachers’ attitudes toward and interactions with infants and toddlers. From a survey of 207 students taking early childhood (EC) courses at 4 U.S. universities, we report relations among students’ attachment styles and their (a) career goals, (b) attitudes about caring for and educating infants and young children, and (c) interaction skills for responding in developmentally supportive ways. Overall, attachment security was positively associated with career goals focused on working with younger children, knowledge about infant/toddler development, attitudes that acknowledge the importance of adult support in children’s development, and developmentally supportive interaction skills. Students who scored high on attachment fearfulness minimized the importance of adults in children’s lives, minimized the importance of the early years for later learning, and endorsed strict and controlling forms of child guidance. Practice or Policy: A conceptual mediation model linking a path from attachment to caregiving skill through knowledge and attitudes is articulated. We propose a person-centered pedagogy for infant/toddler professional preparation that provides opportunities for reflection on one’s own attachment and its effects on work with young childre

Conversational sensitivity: Further validation and extension

The relationship between an individual's ability to differentiate communication with his or her sensitivity to conversation was examined. Results support a link between conversational sensitivity and cognitive complexity; reliability of Daly, Vangelisti and Doughton's (1987) measure of conversational sensitivity was also obtained

Developmental effects of exposure to Intimate Partner Violence in early childhood: A review of the literature

Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) is a prevalent social problem in the United States and women of childbearing age are the most likely victims. The young children born to these women are impacted, however, women are not routinely asked about IPV even when there is evidence that their child has been abused. To highlight the importance of routinely screening for IPV in child welfare and other social service agencies this article reviews typical social-emotional development and physiological/neurological development in early childhood and the impact that IPV and trauma have on these domains of development. Early intervention with young children and caregivers living with IPV provides a significant buffer to the negative effects that witnessing IPV have on children's development and their relationships with caregivers.Intimate Partner Violence Trauma Infant Development

Parental Reflective Functioning Moderates the Relationship Between Difficult Temperament in Infancy and Behavior Problems in Toddlerhood

This study assessed the links between infant negative affect, parental reflective functioning (RF), and toddler behavior problems in a sample of 84 women and their infants. Mothers provided self-report demographic data and completed the Infant Behavior Questionnaire–Revised during a home visit when the infant was 7 months old. They also completed the Child Behavior Checklist over the phone when their infant was 18 months old. During a lab visit when their infant was 16 months old, mothers participated in the Parent Development Interview–Revised Short Form, which was coded for RF. Results suggest that parental RF was not associated with infant negative affect or toddler behavior problems. However, infant negative affect correlated positively with toddler behavior problems and both correlated with cumulative sociodemographic risk. Results of a moderation analysis revealed that RF moderated the relationship between infant negative affect and toddler behavior problems, such that when parental RF was high there was a nonsignificant relationship between infant negative affect and toddler behavior problems

Evaluation of the Miami Child Well-Being Court model: safety, permanency, and well-being findings

This study presents preliminary outcomes for a problem-solving court improvement model, the Miami Child Well-Being Court (Miami-CWBC), which makes evidence-based clinical intervention and integration of the treating clinician's ongoing assessment and perspective central in the dependency court process. Records were reviewed for children adjudicated for maltreatment that completed treatment. Several promising findings suggest that this approach can help jurisdictions improve the lives of young children and their families' capacity to care for them

Implementation of an Integrated Training for Parents and Teachers in Early Head Start: A Research to Practice Summary

This qualitative study documented perspectives of professionals and parents who were involved in the implementation of an attachment-based training for parents and teachers in Early Head Start (EHS). Eight university-based facilitators, 20 EHS teachers, and 13 parents participated in focus groups to better understand the appropriateness, acceptability, and feasibility of Hearts and Minds on Babies (HMB); a group-based, multi-session training with the goal of supporting social emotional development in young children through promotion of reflective functioning and mindfulness strategies for teachers and parents. Data suggest that a small group format and a facilitator stance of openness, curiosity, and cultural humility promoted teachers’ and parents’ positive perspectives of HMB concepts. Participants in this study also helped us to understand challenges to HMB’s feasibility, including logistical challenges that need to be considered for successful implementation in other EHS sites. &nbsp

Attachment Predicts College Students’ Knowledge, Attitudes, and Skills for Working with Infants, Toddlers, and Families

Research Findings:Adults’ attitudes about attachment relationships are central to how they perceive and respond to children. However, little is known about how attachment styles are related to teachers’ attitudes toward and interactions with infants and toddlers. From a survey of 207 students taking early childhood (EC) courses at 4 U.S. universities, we report relations among students’ attachment styles and their (a) career goals, (b) attitudes about caring for and educating infants and young children, and (c) interaction skills for responding in developmentally supportive ways. Overall, attachment security was positively associated with career goals focused on working with younger children, knowledge about infant/toddler development, attitudes that acknowledge the importance of adult support in children’s development, and developmentally supportive interaction skills. Students who scored high on attachment fearfulness minimized the importance of adults in children’s lives, minimized the importance of the early years for later learning, and endorsed strict and controlling forms of child guidance. Practice or Policy: A conceptual mediation model linking a path from attachment to caregiving skill through knowledge and attitudes is articulated. We propose a person-centered pedagogy for infant/toddler professional preparation that provides opportunities for reflection on one’s own attachment and its effects on work with young childre

LoTTS parent-infant interaction coding scale: Ease of use and reliability in a sample of high-risk mothers and their infants

Reliable and valid measurement of parent-infant interactions is necessary to demonstrate parental skill acquisition, but existing observational coding schemes are too complex for practical use in most human service settings. The LoTTS Parent-Infant Interaction Coding System (LPICS) was developed specifically to require minimal training and to be maximally useful for human service (rather than research) settings. The LPICS consists of three global scales and four behavioral counts. Undergraduate students participated in approximately 9 h of training and coding using the LPICS. Low inter-rater reliability scores initially necessitated modifications to the LPICS in order to enhance reliability. The revised scoring procedure showed more promise, particularly for three behavior counts: talking to the infant (ICC = .86, excellent), touching the infant (ICC = .90, excellent), and smiling at the infant (ICC = .66, good), and one global scale: parental warmth (ICC = .58, fair). The revised LPICS may have utility as a brief, simple, and easy-to-teach observational measure of parent-infant interactions.Parent-infant interaction Coding systems Inter-rater reliability Ease of use

Bridging the Gap: Feasibility, Appropriateness, and Acceptability of an Integrated Attachment-Based Training for Teachers and Parents in Early Head Start

Early care and education (ECE) programs often struggle to consistently engage parents in programming that supports caregiving at home. As part of an Early Head Start (EHS) University Partnership, we adapted an attachment-based, reflective training program centered on supporting teachers to share information with parents; and investigated its appropriateness, acceptability, and feasibility in the context of EHS. Qualitative data from university-based facilitators (n = 8), infant/toddler teachers (n = 20), and parents (n =13), suggest that a small group format and a facilitator stance of openness, curiosity, and cultural humility promoted teachers’ and parents’ positive perspectives of HMB concepts. Participants in this study helped us to understand challenges to HMB’s feasibility, including logistical challenges that need to be considered for successful implementation in other EHS sites. This study tapped the perspectives of stakeholders and provides insights that will support the implementation of ongoing, reflective training models across the ECE system