An Actor–Partner Interdependence Analysis of Associations between Affect and Parenting Behavior among Couples

Prior studies evaluating associations between parental affect and parenting behavior have typically focused on either mothers or fathers despite evidence suggesting that affect and parenting behavior may be interdependent among couples. This study addressed this gap in the literature by evaluating associations between self‐reported affect and parenting behavior using an actor–partner interdependence analysis among a sample of 53 mother‐father dyads of 3‐ to 5‐year‐old children. Results suggested that mothers' and fathers' negative affect, as well as mothers' and fathers' positive affect, were positively associated. Both mothers' and fathers' negative affect were negatively associated with fathers' positive affect. Mothers' and fathers' harsh/negative parenting behavior, and supportive/engaged parenting behavior, were positively associated. Furthermore, mothers' negative affect was positively associated with mothers' and fathers' harsh/negative parenting behavior while mothers' positive affect was negatively associated with mothers' harsh/negative behavior and positively associated with mothers' supportive/engaged behavior. Fathers' negative affect was positively associated with fathers' supportive/engaged parenting behavior, while fathers' positive affect was positively associated with mothers' and fathers' supportive/engaged behavior. Results highlight the importance of conceptualizing and measuring characteristics of both mothers and fathers, if applicable, when researching the dynamics of interpersonal relationships within families.     

Are parenting interventions effective in improving the relationship between mothers and their preterm infants?

Aim

To systematically review the efficacy of parenting interventions in improving the quality of the relationship between mothers and preterm infants.

Method

Randomized or quasi-randomized controlled trials (RCT) of parenting interventions for mothers of preterm infants where mother–infant relationship quality outcomes were reported. Databases searched: The Cochrane Library, PubMed, CINAHL, PsycINFO and Web of Science.

Results

Seventeen studies met the inclusion criteria, 14 with strong methodological quality. Eight parenting interventions were found to improve the quality of the mother–preterm infant relationship.

Conclusions

Heterogeneity of the interventions calls for an integrated new parenting program focusing on cue-based, responsive care from the mother to her preterm infant to improve the quality of the relationship for these mother–preterm infant dyads.     

Identifying the interaction of maternal sensitivity and two serotonin-related gene polymorphisms on infant self-regulation

During infancy, orienting and gaze aversion serve as major self-regulatory mechanisms and play an important role in the development of deliberate self-regulation and control. The present study examined the interaction of intrinsic factors (MAOA-uVNTR and 5-HTTLPR gene polymorphisms) and extrinsic factors (maternal sensitivity) on early infant self-regulatory behavior. We assessed 5-HTTLPR (ss + sl versus ll) and MAOA-uVNTR (3 and 4 among boys, and 3/3, 3/4, and 4/4 among girls) polymorphisms, determined maternal sensitivity during mother–child free play, and coded infant self-regulatory behavior (i.e., orienting shifts in a temperament test) in 281 six-month-old infants. We found that infants who experienced a lower level of maternal sensitivity and had the short allele of 5-HTTLPR variants and the 3/3 MAOA-uVNTR polymorphism displayed lower self-regulation capacity than did those infants with a higher level of maternal sensitivity. This finding suggested a modulatory role of maternal sensitivity. Moreover, these findings are consistent with the genetic vulnerability hypothesis, which states that beneficial environmental factors serve as a buffer against harmful genetic predispositions during child development.     

Maternal sensitivity and infant response to frustration: The moderating role of EEG asymmetry

Two hundred and thirty-three 5-month-old infants and their mothers participated in a study designed to examine the influence of maternal sensitivity and infant neurophysiology, as well as interactions between these, on infants’ regulatory behavior and reactivity to emotional challenge. Maternal sensitivity was measured during two mother–child free-play episodes prior to the challenge task. Infant neurophysiology was derived from a measure of resting EEG asymmetry collected during a baseline episode. Infant regulatory behaviors (mother orienting and distraction) and reactivity to challenge (negative affect) were assessed during an arm restraint procedure. Maternal sensitivity predicted mother-orienting behavior for all infants, regardless of baseline EEG asymmetry. Maternal sensitivity also predicted more distraction behaviors for infants with left frontal EEG asymmetry at baseline. In contrast, maternal sensitivity predicted more negative affect for infants with right frontal EEG asymmetry at baseline. These findings lend support for the hypothesis that maternal sensitivity and infant neurophysiological functioning interact to predict regulatory behavior and reactivity and are discussed in terms of the significance for understanding infant regulatory development in the first year of life.     

Infant face interest is associated with voice information and maternal psychological health

Early infant interest in their mother's face is driven by an experience based face processing system, and is associated with maternal psychological health, even within a non clinical community sample. The present study examined the role of the voice in eliciting infants’ interest in mother and stranger faces and in the association between infant face interest and maternal psychological health.Infants aged 3.5-months were shown photographs of their mother's and a stranger's face paired with an audio recording of their mother's and a stranger's voice that was either matched (e.g., mother's face and voice) or mismatched (e.g., mother's face and stranger's voice). Infants spent more time attending to the stranger's matched face and voice than the mother's matched face and voice and the mismatched faces and voices. Thus, infants demonstrated an earlier preference for a stranger's face when given voice information than when the face is presented alone. In the present sample, maternal psychological health varied with 56.7% of mothers reporting mild mood symptoms (depression, anxiety or stress response to childbirth). Infants of mothers with significant mild maternal mood symptoms looked longer at the faces and voices compared to infants of mothers who did not report mild maternal mood symptoms. In sum, infants’ experience based face processing system is sensitive to their mothers’ maternal psychological health and the multimodal nature of faces.     

Stability of young children's attachment representations: Influence of children's and caregiver's characteristics

This research explores the stability of attachment representations, assessed by the Attachment Story Completion Task, within early childhood. Hypotheses were also formed about the influence of parenting, externalizing behavior and intelligence quotient (IQ) on the developmental course of children's attachment representations. Data were collected from 358 French-speaking Belgian children. Security and disorganization showed a linear improvement with age. The effect of time on the two growth curves was influenced by the child's externalizing behavior. When language abilities were controlled for in a subsample of referred children for externalizing behavior, the growth in security was found to be influenced by reasoning IQ, but the effects for disorganization were unchanged. The implications of the results for both research and clinical purposes are discussed.     

Parenting in youth tennis: Understanding and enhancing children's experiences

ObjectiveThe overall purpose of this study was to develop a grounded theory of optimal parental involvement in youth tennis.DesignA Straussian grounded theory methodology (Corbin and Strauss, 2008, Strauss and Corbin, 1998) was used. Semi-structured interviews and focus groups were conducted with 90 youth tennis players, ex-youth players, parents, and coaches from the United Kingdom. Data were analyzed through a process of open and axial coding, and theoretical integration. Through this process data were broken down into smaller units (concepts), relationships between concepts were identified, and a substantive grounded theory was developed.ResultsThe grounded theory of optimal parental involvement in tennis was built around the core category of ‘understanding and enhancing your child's tennis journey.’ The core category was underpinned by three categories: (a) Share and communicate goals, which referred to the need for parents and children to have the same aims for the child's tennis involvement; (b) develop an understanding emotional climate, which accounted for the need for parents to continually seek to foster an environment in which children perceived parents understand their experience, and; (c) engage in enhancing parenting practices at competitions, which denoted the specific behaviors parents should display in relation to competitive tennis.ConclusionThe theory predicts that consistency between goals, emotional climate, and parenting practices will optimize parenting in youth tennis.     

A two-year follow-up investigation of parenting and peer influences on tobacco use onset among Italian early adolescents

The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of peer and family influences on tobacco use onset among Italian early adolescents at two-year follow-up. Participants were 161 adolescents aged 11 to 12 (M = 11.14, SD = 0.39; 49% female) living in the northwest of Italy. Multiple logistic regressions were used. Results indicated that increases in positive family climate were negatively associated with lifetime smoking among non-smokers at two-year follow-up. Additionally, parental knowledge of child daily activities decreased lifetime smoking at two-year follow-up. Moderation analyses revealed that parental knowledge reduced the effect of peers' influence on youth smoking onset at two-year follow-up. This study underlined the influence of parenting practices in preventing early smoking initiation in Italy.     

Assessment of the parental authority questionnaire-short in Australian and Polish samples

The Parental Authority Questionnaire-Short (PAQ-S; Alkharusi, H., Aldhafri, S., Kazem, A., Alzubiadi, A., & Al-Bahrani, M. (2011). Development and validation of a short version of the parental authority questionnaire. Social Behavior and Personality, 39, 1193–1208.) is a short measure of authoritative, authoritarian and permissive parenting styles, but has not been validated in non-Arabic samples. The current study assessed the PAQ-S in Australian and Polish samples. The results indicated that the PAQ-S provided poor fitting models in both samples and a lack of measurement invariance. Further analyses identified subsets of 11 items for maternal and paternal parenting styles with each providing improved model fit. Reliability for the remaining permissive items however was poor. Future research may thus aim to further revise the measurement of authoritative, authoritarian and permissive parenting.     

Autogenic Feedback in the Treatment of Two Children with Migraine Headache

Autogenic feedback was used to treat two subjects, ages 12 to 14, suffering form migraine headache. A multiple baseline across subjects design was used to evaluate treatment outcome. Marked improvement was displayed on all three measures of headache activity for both subjects by the end of treatment and was maintained throughout the follow-up period. These results are comparable to those obtained when similar procedures are applied to chronic adult headache sufferers and suggest that continued investigation is warranted.