Impact of an early childhood intervention on the home environment, and subsequent effects on child cognitive and emotional development : a secondary analysis

The objective of this study was to use secondary data from the Preparing for Life (PFL) trial to test (1) the impact of a prenatal-to-age-five intervention targeting women from a disadvantaged Irish community on the quality of the home environment; (2) whether any identified changes in the home environment explain the positive effects of the PFL program on children’s cognitive and emotional development at school entry which have been identified in previous reports of the PFL trial (ES = .72 and .50, respectively). Pregnant women were randomized into a treatment (home visits, baby massage, and parenting program, n = 115) or control (n = 118) group (trial registration: ISRCTN04631728). The home environment was assessed at 6 months, 1½, and 3 years using the Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment (responsiveness, acceptance, organization, learning material, involvement, variety). Cognitive skills were assessed at 5 years using the British Ability Scales. Emotional problems were teacher-reported at 5 years using the Short Early Development Inventory. Latent growth modeling was used to model changes in the home environment, and mediation analyses to test whether those changes explained children outcomes. Compared to controls, treatment children were exposed to more stimulating environments in terms of learning material (B = -1.62, p = 0.036) and environmental variety (B = -1.58, p = 0.009) at 6 months, but these differences faded at 3 years. Treatment families were also more likely to accept suboptimal child behaviors without using punishment (acceptance score, B = 1.49, p = 0.048) and were more organized at 3 years (B = 1.08, p = 0.033). None of the changes mediated children’s outcomes. In conclusion, we found that the program positively impacted different home environment dimensions, but these changes did not account for improvements in children’s outcomes. Exploratory analyses suggest that the impact of improvements in the home environment on child outcomes may be limited to specific groups of children. Limitations of the study include the potential lack of generalizability to other populations, the inability to assess the individual treatment components, and sample size restrictions which precluded a moderated mediation analysis

Assessing the independent contribution of maternal educational expectations to children's educational attainment in early adulthood: A propensity score matching analysis

Background Parental educational expectations have been associated with children’s educational attainment in a number of long-term longitudinal studies, but whether this relationship is causal has long been debated. The aims of this prospective study were twofold: 1) test whether low maternal educational expectations contributed to failure to graduate from high school; and 2) compare the results obtained using different strategies for accounting for confounding variables (i.e. multivariate regression and propensity score matching). Methodology/Principal Findings The study sample included 1,279 participants from the Quebec Longitudinal Study of Kindergarten Children. Maternal educational expectations were assessed when the participants were aged 12 years. High school graduation – measuring educational attainment – was determined through the Quebec Ministry of Education when the participants were aged 22–23 years. Findings show that when using the most common statistical approach (i.e. multivariate regressions to adjust for a restricted set of potential confounders) the contribution of low maternal educational expectations to failure to graduate from high school was statistically significant. However, when using propensity score matching, the contribution of maternal expectations was reduced and remained statistically significant only for males.Conclusions/Significance The results of this study are consistent with the possibility that the contribution of parental expectations to educational attainment is overestimated in the available literature. This may be explained by the use of a restricted range of potential confounding variables as well as the dearth of studies using appropriate statistical techniques and study designs in order to minimize confounding. Each of these techniques and designs, including propensity score matching, has its strengths and limitations: A more comprehensive understanding of the causal role of parental expectations will stem from a convergence of findings from studies using different techniques and designs

Developmental predictors of inattention-hyperactivity from pregnancy to early childhood

Objective The objective of the study was to characterize the developmental sequence of pre- and postnatal risk factors for inattention-hyperactivity symptoms in preschoolers. Materials and Methods Longitudinal data came from a French population based birth cohort study (EDEN; N = 1311 mother-child pairs followed from the pregnancy onwards). Inattention-hyperactivity symptoms were assessed with the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire when participating children were 3 years of age. Potential risk factors were classified in four domains (fetal exposures and child somatic characteristics, child temperament, child neurodevelopmental status, psychosocial environment) and four periods (before pregnancy, prenatal/birth, infancy, toddlerhood). Their role as potential moderator or mediator was tested with path analysis to determine the developmental sequence.Results A low family socioeconomic status before pregnancy was the main environmental risk factor for inattention-hyperactivity symptoms at 3 years, and its effect occurred via two pathways. The first was a risk pathway, where lower SES was associated with higher maternal depression and anxiety during pregnancy; then to higher maternal and child distress and dysregulation in infancy; and in turn to higher levels of inattention-hyperactivity at 3 years. The second was a protective pathway, where higher SES was associated with longer duration of breastfeeding during infancy; then to better child neurodevelopmental status in toddlerhood; and in turn to lower levels of inattention-hyperactivity at 3 years. Discussion This study identified psychosocial factors at several developmental periods that represent potential targets for preventing the emergence of inattention-hyperactivity symptoms in early childhood

Early nonparental care and social behavior in elementary school : support for a social group adaptation hypothesis

We examined the contribution of non-parental child care services received during the preschool years (i.e. between 5 months and 5 years) to the development of social behavior between kindergarten and the end of elementary school (i.e. between 6 and 12 years) with a birth cohort from Québec, Canada (N=1544). Mothers reported on the use of child care services, while elementary school teachers rated children’s shyness, social withdrawal, prosociality, opposition and aggression. Children who received non-parental child care services during the preschool years were less shy, less socially withdrawn, more oppositional and more aggressive at school entry (age 6 years). However, these differences disappeared during elementary school as children who received exclusive parental care during the preschool years caught up with those who received non-parental care services. We discuss this “catch-up” effect from the perspective of children’s adaptation to the social group

Longitudinal and sex measurement invariance of the affective neuroscience personality scales

The Affective Neuroscience Personality Scales (ANPS) is a personality instrument based on six evolutionary-related brain systems that are at the foundation of human emotions and behaviors: SEEKING, CARING, PLAYFULNESS, FEAR, ANGER, and SADNESS. We sought to assess for the short and long versions of the ANPS: (a) the longitudinal measurement invariance and long-term (4-year) stability and (b) the sex measurement invariance. Using data from a Canadian cohort (N = 518), we used single-group confirmatory factor analysis to assess longitudinal invariance and multiple-group confirmatory factor analysis to assess sex invariance, according to a five-step approach evaluating five invariance levels (configural, metric, scalar, residual, and complete). Results supported full longitudinal invariance for both versions for all invariance levels. Partial residual invariance was supported for sex invariance. The long-term stability of both versions was good to excellent. Implications for personality assessment and ANPS development are discussed

Controlling parenting and physical aggression during elementary school

The goal of the present study was to examine whether controlling parenting contributes to the problem of physical aggression. Developmental trajectories of children’s physical aggression were modeled from yearly teachers’ ratings, from ages 6 to 12. Multinomial logistic regressions (N = 1,508) served to identify risk factors that distinguish children who display different levels of physical aggression throughout grade school. Results revealed that being a boy and having a reactive temperament were important child predictors. Parental separation and an early onset of motherhood were also significant risk factors. Finally, mothers’ controlling parenting increased the odds of following the highest trajectory of physical aggression, above and beyond the previous risk factors

Child care services, socioeconomic inequalities, and academic performance

Objective. To determine if child care services (CCS) at a population level can reduce social inequalities in academic performance until early adolescence. Method. A 12-year population-based prospective cohort study of families with a newborn (n = 1269). Two CCS variables were estimated: ‘intensity’ (low, moderate and high number of hours) and ‘Center-Based CCS Type’ (early-, late-onset, and never exposed to center-based CCS). Results. Children from low socioeconomic status (SES) families who received high-intensity CCS (any type), compared to those who received low-intensity CCS, had significantly better reading (Standardized Effect Size [ES]= .37), writing (ES=.37), and mathematics (ES=.46) scores. Children from low-SES families who received center-based CCS, compared to those who never attended center-care, had significantly better reading (ES early-onset =.68; ES late-onset =.37), writing (ES early-onset =.79), and mathematics (ES early-onset =.66; ES late-onset =.39) scores. Furthermore, early participation in center-based CCS eliminated the differences between children of low- and adequate-SES on all three exams (ES = -.01, .13, and -.02 for reading, writing and mathematics, respectively). These results were obtained while controlling for a wide range of child and family variables from birth to school entry. Conclusion. Child care services (any type) can reduce the social inequalities in academic performance up to early adolescence, while early participation in center-based CCS can eliminate this inequality. CCS use, especially early participation in center-based CCS should be strongly encouraged for children growing up in a low-SES family

Early childhood trajectories of separation anxiety : bearing on mental health, academic achievement, and physical health from mid‐childhood to preadolescence

1 Background Separation anxiety disorder is the most prevalent childhood anxiety condition, but no study assessed children for separation anxiety at preschool age and followed them longitudinally and directly until mid‐childhood/early adolescence. 2 Methods Multi‐informant (children, teachers, family), multipoint (at age 8, 10, 12, 13) assessments of 1,290 children of the Quebec Longitudinal Study of Child Development, who had been categorized between age 1.5 and 6 into four specific separation anxiety trajectories (1, low‐persistent; 2, low‐increasing; 3, high‐decreasing, and the less common: 4, high‐increasing) by growth mixture modeling. Participants in the high‐increasing trajectory were compared to participants in the other three trajectories for: (a) child's internalizing and externalizing problem behavior; (b) physical health; (c) academic achievement; (d) maternal anxiety. 3 Results Multivariate analyses of variance/covariance at separate time points showed the high‐increasing trajectory mostly associated with: (a) higher internalizing, but not externalizing, behavior; (b) worse academic achievement (most consistently by comparisons to the normative low‐persistent trajectory; (c) higher rates of maternal panic/agoraphobic anxiety; (d) worse physical health (most consistently by comparisons to the low‐persistent trajectory). The high‐increasing trajectory had twofold to threefold higher incidences of physical illnesses than the normative low‐persistent group; this was specific for headaches at age 12 years, chronic asthma at age 10 and 13, and having received asthma‐related medication during the past 12 months. 4 Conclusions High‐increasing separation anxiety in preschool maintains longitudinal relationships to independent health and academic outcomes, at least until preadolescence. This knowledge can inform the deployment of clinical resources at the earlier signs of the more impairing manifestations

Identifying affective personality profiles: A latent profile analysis of the Affective Neuroscience Personality Scales

Based on evolutionary theory, a recent model in affective neuroscience delineated six emotional brain systems at the core of human personality: SEEKING, CARING, PLAYFULNESS, FEAR, ANGER, SADNESS. The Affective Neuroscience Personality Scales (ANPS) assess their functioning. Using a person-centred approach of the ANPS, this study: (i) examined the existence of latent personality profiles, (ii) studied their gender invariance, (iii) assessed their longitudinal (4 years) stability, and (iv) explored how they relate to several intrapersonal, interpersonal, and emotion regulation skills. Latent Profile Analysis in 2 samples (Canadian, longitudinal, N = 520; French, cross-sectional, N = 830) found that, qualitatively, 3 profiles characterized both populations and genders, with one distinction for the second profile where the French women endorsed slightly higher and lower scores for, respectively, the negative and positive emotions. Whilst not being quantitatively similar across genders, the personality profiles remained consistent across time in the longitudinal sample. Associations between profiles and intrapersonal (e.g. depression), interpersonal (e.g. empathy), and emotion regulation skills measures (e.g. emotional intelligence) offered concurrent validity evidence. This person centred approach to ANPS offers a holistic and parsimonious way to study affective personality dimensions. It opens promising avenues for future studies on the predictive value of ANPS profiles, and for personality-targeted interventions