Teacher–child relationships and academic achievement: A multilevel propensity score model approach

A robust body of research finds positive cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between teacher–child relationships and children's academic achievement in elementary school. Estimating the causal effect of teacher–child relationships on children's academic achievement, however, is challenged by selection bias at the individual and school level. To address these issues, we used two multilevel propensity score matching approaches to estimate the effect of high-quality teacher–child relationships in kindergarten on math and reading achievement during children's transition to first grade. Multi-informant data were collected on 324 low-income, Black and Hispanic students, and 112 kindergarten and first-grade teachers. Results revealed significant effects of high-quality teacher–child relationships in kindergarten on math achievement in first grade. No significant effects of teacher–child relationships were detected for reading achievement. Implications for intervention development and public policy are discussed.     

Teacher–student relationships and adolescent behavioral engagement and rule-breaking behavior: The moderating role of dopaminergic genes

This study examined whether the dopamine transporter DAT1 and the dopamine receptor DRD4 genes moderate the effect of student-reported teacher–student relationship affiliation or dissatisfaction on parent-reported adolescent rule-breaking behavior and behavioral engagement. The sample included 1053 adolescents (51% boys, M_age = 13.79) from grades 7 to 9. Regression analyses were conducted using Mplus while controlling for multiple testing and nested data. Adolescents who experienced stronger affiliation with their teachers were more engaged in school, whereas greater dissatisfaction predicted more rule-breaking behavior. In addition, a significant gene–environment interaction was found for both genes examined. The link between low teacher–student affiliation and low engagement was more pronounced for DAT1-10R homozygotes. The link between high teacher–student dissatisfaction and more rule-breaking was stronger for DRD4 non-long carriers. Implications for understanding the role of teacher–student relationships in adolescence and suggestions for future research are outlined.     

Family wealth and parent–child relationships

This study examined associations between self-reported family wealth and parent–child relationships, by contrasting three theoretical perspectives on the shape of the association. The study utilized data from the Norwegian part of the “Health behaviour in school-aged children study (HBSC) 2013/2014”, with a sample of 3383 children aged 11–15 years old. The shape of associations between family wealth and parent–child communication were tested using regression spline models with knots at 1 SD below mean family wealth and at 1 SD above mean family wealth. The regression spline models showed that increasing family wealth was associated with easier family communication, clearer family communication, and higher family support. Results revealed that for boys, the association between family wealth and outcomes was stronger for the lower segment of family wealth, than in medium and high segments of family wealth. For girls, the gradient across level of wealth was monotone, with higher parent–child communication and higher family support at higher family wealth. To conclude, the results from this study suggest a nonlinear pattern of inequality in parent–child relationships across the range of family wealth.     

The relationship between retrospective reports of early child temperament and adjustment at ages 10–12

For 131 highly stressed 4th- to 6th-grade urban children, retrospective parental reports of child temperament along an easy-difficult dimension, for the infancy (ages 0–2) and preschool (ages 2–5) periods, were obtained during in-depth interviews. Parent judgments of an easier temperament in each of the two age periods, and their sum, related consistently and significantly to positive ratings of current child adjustment. The latter reflected both multiple sources (i.e., parents, former teachers, and current teachers) and different aspects of adjustment (e.g., fewer problem behaviors and more competencies).This project was done with support from the William T. Grant Foundation, for which the authors express sincere gratitude. Thanks also to Dwayne D. Jarrell and Bohdan S. Lotyczewski who assisted in the data analyses.     

Teacher–child relationship,child withdrawal and aggression in the development of peer victimization

The study examined pre-kindergarten teacher–child relationship as a predictor of peer victimization up to first grade, assessed whether this role moderated risks from children's social withdrawal and/or aggression. Participants were 377 Australian children from 12 schools. Parent ratings of victimization in pre-kindergarten, kindergarten and first grade were used, as well as prekindergarten self-ratings of parenting. Teacher-ratings of conflict and closeness, child aggression and social withdrawal were collected in pre-kindergarten. Two-part growth curve analyses conjointly modeled the likelihood of being victimized and severity of victimization. Teacher–child conflict in prekindergarten predicted the likelihood of concurrent and first grade victimization; closeness in prekindergarten was protective of more severe victimization over time. Conflict also moderated the relationship between social withdrawal and growth in severity of victimization. Discussion focuses on elucidating the ‘invisible hand’ of the teacher in peer dynamics, and on interventions for reducing conflict and promoting closeness in the classroom.     

Does parental concern about their child performance matter? Transactional links with the student's motivation and development of self-directed learning behaviors

Social Psychology of Education - The nature of the links between students’ motivation and their perception of parental concern about school performance is still controversial, and whether...     

Recollections of parent–child relationships,attachment insecurity,and obsessive–compulsive beliefs

To adequately understand Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), it is important to understand the developmental origins of obsessive beliefs and corresponding compulsive acts. Prior work has shown that having cold, neglectful parents in childhood and/or insecure attachment styles are both linked to emotional disturbances. In this study, we explored the potential contributions of early parent–child relationships to attachment styles and the severity of obsessive–compulsive beliefs in adulthood. A sample of 397 college students completed online, self-report measures of retrospective parent–child relationships, adult attachment styles, and ongoing obsessive–compulsive symptoms. Analyses revealed that attachment anxiety partially mediated the association between parent–child relationships and obsessive beliefs; attachment avoidance failed to operate as a mediating mechanism. Our findings provide support for interpersonal approaches to obsessive–compulsive symptoms and disorder, with implications for the continuity of relationship dysfunction from childhood into adulthood.     

Infant-holding bias variations in mother–child relationships: A longitudinal study

This longitudinal study examined the associations between maternal depressive symptoms and infant holding bias in a sample of N = 43 women during three prospective sessions: during pregnancy, two months after childbirth, and when the child was 19 months of age. The majority of mothers (65.8% on average) held their children on the left side of their body at all three sessions; approximately 30% demonstrated a change in their preference, in particular between the pre- and first post-natal session. Examination of reciprocal associations between holding bias and depression revealed that prior and concurrent depression did not predict changes in holding-side biases, whereas women's holding preferences when their infant was two months old predicted change in pre- to postnatal depressive symptoms; women favouring a right-sided holding bias were significantly more likely to report increased depressive symptoms across the perinatal period, whereas a left-sided holding bias was associated with decreased depressive symptomatology.     

Using relationship-focused reflection to improve teacher–child relationships and teachers' student-specific self-efficacy

The present study evaluated whether LLInC (Leerkracht-Leerling Interactie Coaching in Dutch, or Teacher-Student Interaction Coaching), a teacher-based coaching-intervention, yielded improvements in dyadic affective teacher–child relationships in elementary school (Grades 2–6). Based on attachment theory, LLInC aims to foster more flexible and differentiated mental representations of teachers' relationships with individual children with whom they experience relationship difficulties. Using a quasi-experimental design, we compared an intervention group of teachers (n = 46 teachers and 92 children) receiving LLInC with a control group receiving no form of intervention (n = 32 teachers and 88 children). To investigate possible transfer effects, we asked teachers from the intervention group to report on their relationships and self-efficacy beliefs regarding two other children with whom they experienced relationship difficulties as well (n = 46 teachers and 81 children). Multilevel models were used to examine intervention effects on teachers' perceptions of relationship quality (i.e., Closeness, Conflict, Dependency), and teachers' student-specific self-efficacy beliefs for Behavior Management and Emotional Support. Teachers receiving LLInC reported short-term improvements in Closeness and self-efficacy beliefs for Emotional Support and decreases in Conflict as compared to control teachers. Similar improvements in Closeness and self-efficacy for Emotional Support were found for the intervention-transfer group as compared to control teachers. Also, teachers receiving LLInC had short-term and longer-term improvements in self-efficacy beliefs for Behavior Management as compared to control teachers. These improvements regarding Behavior Management were not found for the intervention-transfer group.     

Mother–child relationship quality from preschool to adolescence: Variation by maternal education

Using longitudinal data from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (N = 1088), we examine changes in maternal perception of closeness and conflict in the mother–child relationship from the child's preschool to adolescent years, with attention to variation by maternal education. Analyses using individual growth models show that mother–child closeness increases, while mother–child conflict decreases, from preschool to first grade. From first grade to age 15, mother–child closeness decreases, while mother–child conflict increases, both gradually. The decrease in mother–child conflict from preschool to first grade and the increases in mother–child conflict from first to fifth grade, sixth grade, and age 15 are less steep for mothers with a college degree than for mothers without a college degree. These findings underscore the importance of examining changes in parent–child relationships using longitudinal data across children's developmental stages and their variations by parental social and economic status.     

Parent–child relationships during the divorce process; from attachment theory and intergenerational perspective

This study examined four possible predictors of parental satisfaction in the first year after divorce: Attachment style, parenting style, perception of own parents parenting, and the ex-spouses assessment of the quality of the parents parenting. Findings among 49 divorced couples showed that the mothers satisfaction was anchored in themselves and their behavior, fathers satisfaction in their perceptions of their mothers and ex-wives. Among mothers, the less dismissing their attachment style and the greater the centrality of the child in their parenting style, the more satisfaction they tended to report. Among fathers, greater satisfaction was predicted by more education, perception of their own mother as less overprotective, and their perception of their ex-wifes approval of the quality of their fathering.     

Self-regulation in early childhood: the interplay between family risk,temperament and teacher–child interactions

Abstract

This study investigates the interplay between family risk and the quality of classroom interactions and their impact on self-regulation skills in two groups of children—children from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds (at-risk) and non-risk children. Participants included 485 children (N = 93 classrooms)—233 (N = 47 classrooms) of which were from socioeconomically disadvantaged areas. Temperament was measured using teacher report. Trained observers rated classroom quality via live observations of a typical preschool day. Behavioral regulation was assessed using direct measures and emotional regulation was assessed using a teacher report. Analyses using multiple group structural equation modeling showed that at-risk children had lower levels of cool behavior regulation than non-risk children. In addition, classroom quality was positively linked to cool behavioral self-regulation. Moderating effects were additionally found between family risk and classroom quality on both hot behavioral regulation and emotional regulation. Classroom quality served as a protective factor for children exposed to more risk factors. Results showed complex associations between individual characteristics, classroom quality, and family risk, indicating a need to further explore the interplay among these variables.     

Self-efficacy,parent–child relationships,and academic performance: a comparison of European American and Asian American college students

Parent–child relationships play an important role in successful academic outcomes. Previous research suggests that the association between parent–child relationships and offspring’s academic achievement may be mediated by offspring’s self-efficacy levels, although these relationships are not fully understood. Furthermore, the association between family support and academic outcomes is well-documented among European Americans, but not across cultures. Therefore, the present study examined how parent–child relationship quality relates to young adults’ academic achievement and self-efficacy among European Americans and Asian Americans. Participants were 258 undergraduate students (85 male, 173 female) who completed a survey. Overall, both parent–child relationships and self-efficacy were significantly associated with the offspring’s academic performance, and self-efficacy mediated the relationship between parent–child relationships and school outcomes. Ethnicity moderated these relationships: among European American students, quality of parent–child relationships was not associated with self-efficacy level whereas for Asian Americans, parent–child relationships were associated with self-efficacy. These findings suggest that European American college students’ self-efficacy levels are less dependent on parent–child relationship quality, but for Asian Americans college students it may be important for educators to facilitate communication and family support so students may continue to use family as a resource for self-efficacy levels.     

Building a composite factorial score for the assessment of quality of parent–child relationships in adolescence

The quality of parent–child relationships has important implications for adolescent development and well-being. However, whereas numerous measures of specific dimensions contributing to quality of parent–child relationships are available, scales that provide a global assessment of this content are scarce. Consequently, the assessment of quality of parent–child relationships poses a challenge to the researcher, especially when the need exists to consider its main aspects but long instruments can not be used due to diverse circumstances. This paper presents a composite factorial score on quality of parent–child relationships developed from four short measures of affection, communication, parental knowledge and family satisfaction that can contribute to solving some of those difficulties. This composite score can be a useful tool to assess quality of parent–child relationships, especially for studies devoted to the study of the relationships between experiences within the family and the adolescent's well-being.     

Female and male intravenous drug users not-in-treatment: Are they at differential risk for AIDS?

We describe and compare the drug-use patterns of ethnically diverse (45% white, 39% African American, 15% Hispanic) female and male intravenous drug users (IVDUs) not-in-treatment. Focusing on a group of hard-to-reach and economically disadvantaged IVDUs, we were able to document drug use patterns and practices that have been shown to place them at increased risk for AIDS. We were also able to examine if women IVDUs were at differential risk for AIDS in comparison to men IVDUs. Results indicated that female IVDUs practices may place them differentially at risk for contracting HIV because they were more likely than male IVDUs to share needles. When female IVDUs shared needles, they were also more likely than male IVDUs to share needles with a spouse or sexual partner. We argue that these results may be tied to gender role socialization and have important implications for designing interventions for female IVDUs.This research was supported by Grant DA01070 from the National Institute on Drug Abuse to the second author.     

Dynamics of identity development and separation–individuation in parent–child relationships during adolescence and emerging adulthood – A conceptual integration

Identity development and separation–individuation in parent–child relationships are widely perceived as related tasks of psychosocial maturation. However, a dynamic, developmental perspective that explains how intra-personal change in identity evolves from transactions between parents and children is not sufficiently represented in the literature. In this article, a selective literature review of psychological approaches to identity development and separation–individuation is presented with a focus on how the role of parents has been covered by approaches to identity development and on how general mechanisms of identity change could be filled with content by processes of separation–individuation. Afterwards, dynamics of identity development and separation–individuation are integrated based on the conceptualization of parents and children as two interrelated identity systems. Specifically, it is illustrated how interpersonal differences in long-term related changes in identity formation, identity evaluation, autonomy, and separateness and attachment between parents and children, could be explained by parent–child transactions in the transition between childhood and adolescence and between adolescence and emerging adulthood. Finally, implications of an integrative perspective for future empirical research are discussed.     

Parent–child relationships and offspring’s positive mental wellbeing from adolescence to early older age

We examined parent-child relationship quality and positive mental well-being using Medical Research Council National Survey of Health and Development data. Well-being was measured at ages 13–15 (teacher-rated happiness), 36 (life satisfaction), 43 (satisfaction with home and family life) and 60–64 years (Diener Satisfaction With Life scale and Warwick Edinburgh Mental Well-being scale). The Parental Bonding Instrument captured perceived care and control from the father and mother to age 16, recalled by study members at age 43. Greater well-being was seen for offspring with higher combined parental care and lower combined parental psychological control (p < 0.05 at all ages). Controlling for maternal care and paternal and maternal behavioural and psychological control, childhood social class, parental separation, mother’s neuroticism and study member’s personality, higher well-being was consistently related to paternal care. This suggests that both mother–child and father–child relationships may have short and long-term consequences for positive mental well-being.