Factors that Contribute to Dyadic Synchrony Among Young Latina Mothers and Their Toddlers PDF Download

Author: Aimee Tovah Hammer
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Hispanic American teenage mothers
Languages : en
Pages : 96

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Book Description
Research on parenting has placed an increasing emphasis on bidirectional processes of parent-child interactions to more fully describe the quality of the parent-child relationship. A frequently examined bidirectional process is dyadic synchrony; an interactional style characterized by harmonious and mutually responsive behavioral and emotional exchanges. Despite the positive implications of dyadic synchrony, few studies have examined how both maternal behaviors and child characteristics contribute to this interactional style. Moreover, a majority of the research examining correlates of dyadic synchrony has been done with European American and low-risk families. Latina adolescent mothers are of particular interest, because they face higher levels of cumulative risk (e.g., low socioeconomic status, lack of knowledge about parenting and child development), yet are underrepresented in the literature. The current study tested how maternal sensitivity and child characteristics together contribute to dyadic synchrony displayed by young Latina mothers and their toddlers. Results indicated that although there were no gender differences in the level of dyadic synchrony, this interaction style likely has different precursors and correlates for girls and boys. Specifically, maternal sensitivity appears to be important for the sample as whole, child temperament appeared to be important for mother-daughter interaction quality. Implications for future research and parent-child interventions are discussed.

Author: Stephanie Silberman
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Child psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 121

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Book Description
Adolescent mothers are at risk for poor parenting adjustment and their children are at risk for behavior and learning problems. These young mothers' own mothers (the children's grandmothers), are a key presence in their lives, but the contribution of grandmother childcare involvement to mother-child interactions is mixed in the literature. Research is needed to better understand the conditions under which grandmother involvement in childcare can be beneficial for mother-child interactional styles like dyadic synchrony, which is characterized by mutual engagement, reciprocity, and warmth. Recent findings suggest that the quality of the mother-grandmother relationship is one of the factors that may determine whether grandmother childcare is beneficial for parenting adjustment. The current study investigated mother-grandmother relationship quality as well as other conditions (e.g., grandmother coresidency with mother, mother nativity status, child gender) that may foster higher levels of dyadic synchrony in a sample of primarily Puerto Rican young mothers (N= 160; Mage=19.5 years) and their toddlers (Mage=18.2 months). Descriptive information on dyadic synchrony measures in this sample, including mutual positive affect, dyadic reciprocity, and a dyadic synchrony composite, is presented. Hierarchical linear regressions examined grandmother coresidency, mother nativity, and child gender as demographic and contextual factors that may qualify how grandmother childcare relates to dyadic synchrony. Findings indicated that higher levels of grandmother childcare involvement related to displays of more dyadic reciprocity for mother-daughter dyads but not mother-son dyads. For the main research question, grandmother supportiveness and acceptance did not moderate the association between grandmother childcare involvement and dyadic synchrony, even after taking into account child and maternal characteristics. However, group differences by gender remained significant, above and beyond grandmother supportiveness and acceptance and grandmother coresidency with mother. Additionally, child age and maternal depression had significant main effects on mutual positive affect. Mothers and their younger toddlers and mothers who reported lower levels of depressive symptoms were more likely to demonstrate mutual positive affect than mothers with older toddlers and mothers who reported higher levels of depressive symptoms. These findings emphasize the importance of assessing multiple contexts when exploring the association between mother-grandmother relationship and mother-child interactions, while also taking into account grandmother, mother, and child individual and developmental characteristics

Author: Aimee Hammer
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Research on children's emotional development suggests that the everyday mother-child emotional exchanges (i.e., co-regulation) between children and their caregivers are important predictors of future adjustment. Research examining real-time temporal contingencies of parent-child interaction behaviors is scarce, although the relation between bidirectional measures (e.g., mutuality, reciprocity, dyadic synchrony) of mother-child interactions and child development has been documented. Despite recent advances in co-regulation research, it remains unclear how temporal contingencies between mother and child affective responses are related to children's emotion dysregulation in toddlerhood. Moreover, despite evidence of differences in parenting and socialization across ethnic/racial minorities and SES, these associations have not yet been studied across cultural contexts. Based on research demonstrating that parenting and socialization practices in more traditional Latinx families are not always consistent with European American parenting, it is crucial to highlight potential differences in co-regulatory processes involved in emotion regulation to inform future research and intervention. To date, only a few studies have considered temporal contingencies of dyadic behaviors, and no studies have examined sub-groups of mother-toddler dyads based on cultural orientation and co-regulation patterns or the relation of these factors to subsequent emotion dysregulation. Overall, I sought to extend the literature by identifying subgroups of young Puerto Rican (PR) mothers and their toddlers using micro-analytically coded patterns of co-regulation and mothers' cultural orientation (n = 123). Results revealed differential relations between cultural orientation and specific mother-toddler co-regulation patterns and three subgroups of mother-toddler dyads characterized by differing levels of enculturation, acculturation, and affective co-regulation (i.e., highly acculturated, highly enculturated, and bicultural). Univariate analyses revealed that mothers of girls regulated negative affect with neutral affect more often than mothers of boys. Relatedly, child gender was significantly related to static (e.g., pair of the two behaviors occurring in the same segment) mother neutral and negative child affect. Additionally, highly enculturated mothers were more likely to negatively regulate their children's negative affect than less enculturated mothers. Regarding subgroups of mother-toddler dyads. Mothers in the three identified subgroups used positive, neutral, and negative affect differently when regulating children's affect. However, co-regulation patterns and subgroups of mother-toddler dyads were not related to children's subsequent emotion dysregulation. Overall, differences in the combination of co-regulation patterns mother-toddler dyads display in the context of varying levels of cultural orientation highlight the importance of using more nuanced frameworks when understanding patterns of parent-child interactions that have implications for culturally informed clinical interventions.

Author: Sandra Hyatt Soto
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 164

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Book Description
Background: Many adult Latinos are not meeting guidelines for healthy eating. Theory posits the important role of family and family members on individuals' health behaviors (e.g., diet). However, few studies examine how children impact their parents' diet. Furthermore, empirical evidence shows that acculturation is an important predictor of diet among Latino adults. The purpose of this dissertation was to examine the role of children, families, and acculturation on mothers' dietary intake and related behaviors. Methods: Chapters 1 and 2 used secondary data from mother-child dyads enrolled in a randomized controlled trial (RCT) and Chapter 3 used primary data collected from mother-child dyads. Chapter 1 used baseline survey data from 314 Latino mother-child dyads to test how children's acculturation and the mother-child acculturation gap was associated with mothers' dietary intake and related behaviors. Building on the results from Chapter 1, in Chapter 2, longitudinal data from 162 dyads enrolled in delayed treatment group of the RCT were used to test the temporal relations of the family environment on traditional mothers' dietary intake and behaviors, and whether these relations differed between mothers of assimilated versus bicultural children. Finally, Chapter 3 used qualitative interview data from mothers and their bicultural (n=11) or assimilated (n=10) children and quantitative data from mothers to explore how children influenced their mothers' dietary intake and behaviors. Results: Chapter 1 provided evidence that accounting for mothers' acculturation, having an assimilated versus a bicultural child was negatively associated with mothers' vegetable intake and positively associated with mothers' sugary beverage intake, percent of calories from fat, and frequency of away-from-home eating. The most at-risk dyads for lower quality diet among mothers were traditional mothers of assimilated children. Chapter 2 found that less positive family interactions around food at baseline predicted more frequent away-from-home eating four months later among mothers of assimilated children. Additionally, more family expressiveness at four months predicted more dollars spent on fruits and vegetables at ten months among mothers of bicultural children. In Chapter 3, participants described how mothers' feeding styles shaped children's food preferences and in return, children's food preferences influenced mothers' dietary intake and behaviors. Discussion: This dissertation found evidence for the important role of children and families on mothers' dietary intake and related behaviors. The findings presented here support the theoretical notion that individuals' health behaviors are directly and indirectly influenced by family-level factors. Further, this dissertation extends previous research on the important role of mothers on their children's dietary outcomes by building evidence for the reciprocating influence of children on their mothers' dietary intake and behaviors.

Author: Brandon Bray
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description
Dyadic interaction patterns, the dynamic social interplay between caregiver and infant characterized by each partners response to the behavior of the other, are considered one of the foundational factors of infants emergent self-regulation (Beebe et al., 1992; Kopp, 1982; Schore, 1996). Theoretically, then, dyadic interaction patterns should change over time as infants develop regulatory autonomy and capabilities for mobility, social engagement, and independence (Kopp, 1982), and vary depending on caregivers interactive styles (Feldman, 2007). Although research has examined links between early dyadic interaction patterns, measured as dyadic synchrony between parents and infants behaviors, and later child outcomes, relatively little is known about the specific types of parents and infants behaviors that typically co-occur at different ages. To address this gap, the current study provided detailed descriptive data about dyadic interaction patterns across infancy and early toddlerhood for mother-child dyads. Following advances in time-series data analytic methods for modeling dyadic data (e.g., Stifter & Rovine, 2015), the current study used Hidden Markov Modeling (HMM; Visser & Speekenbrink, 2010) to identify patterns of moment-to-moment behaviors co-occurring between mothers and their children (latent dyadic states) and to compute probabilities of transitions among those states at three ages: 9-, 18-, and 27-months.The current study used microcoded observations of adoptive mothers and infants behaviors collected as part of the Early Growth and Development Study (Leve et al., 2013) during an observational Teaching Task at child ages 9-, 18-, and 27-months (N = 551). The Teaching Task elicits maternal support for infant autonomy and exploration, therefore relevant behaviors that were coded included, for example, maternal scaffolding, praise, and social bids, and child attention to task, compliance, and toy exploration. Separately at each age, HMM was used to compute the probabilities of all possible latent dyadic states (i.e., all possible co-occurring mother-child behaviors) and to determine the number of dyadic states that resulted in best model fit. In other words, HMM quantified specific patterns of dyadic interaction that were most likely to occur at 9-, 18-, and 27-months. Then, separately at each age, HMM was used to compute a set of transition probabilities (i.e., the probability of dyads moving from one latent state to any other latent state). Thus, HMM provided a rich description of the content of dyadic interactions (i.e., the most likely types of co-occurring behaviors) and the process of dyadic interactions (most likely patterns of movement among dyadic states) at each age. The dyadic interaction patterns at each age were discussed in terms of similarities and differences at the different ages. HMM can be used in future research to examine individual differences in dyadic interaction patterns, explore genetic and environmental contributions to the development of dyadic interaction patterns, and predict child outcomes in relation to early dyadic interaction patterns.

Author: Shayna Skelley Coburn
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Mother and child
Languages : en
Pages : 113

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Book Description
The parent-child relationship is one of the earliest and most formative experiences for social and emotional development. Synchrony, defined as the rhythmic patterning and quality of mutual affect, engagement, and physiological attunement, has been identified as a critical quality of a healthy mother-infant relationship. Although the salience of the quality of family interaction has been well-established, clinical and developmental research has varied widely in methods for observing and identifying influential aspects of synchrony. In addition, modern dynamic perspectives presume multiple factors converge in a complex system influenced by both nature and nurture, in which individual traits, behavior, and environment are inextricably intertwined within the system of dyadic relational units. The present study aimed to directly examine and compare synchrony from three distinct approaches: observed microanalytic behavioral sequences, observed global dyadic qualities, and physiological attunement between mothers and infants. The sample consisted of 323 Mexican American mothers and their infants followed from the third trimester of pregnancy through the first year of life. Mothers were interviewed prenatally, observed at a home visit at 12 weeks postpartum, and were finally interviewed for child social-emotional problems at child age 12 months. Specific aspects of synchrony (microanalytical, global, and physiological) were examined separately as well as together to identify comparable and divergent qualities within the construct. Findings indicated that multiple perspectives on synchrony are best examined together, but as independent qualities to account for varying characteristics captured by divergent systems. Dyadic relationships characterized by higher reciprocity, more time and flexibility in mutual non-negative engagement, and less tendency to enter negative or unengaged states were associated with fewer child social-emotional problems at child age 12 months. Lower infant cortisol was associated with higher levels of externalizing problems, and smaller differences between mother and child cortisol were associated with higher levels of child dysregulation. Results underscore the complex but important nature of synchrony as a salient mechanism underlying the social-emotional growth of children. A mutually engaged, non-negative, and reciprocal environment lays the foundation for the successful social and self-regulatory competence of infants in the first year of life.

Author: Doratriz Equihua
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781124251714
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 172

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Book Description
Abstract: Research indicates that parental involvement in their children's education is beneficial to children, families, schools, and communities. Some research has suggested that Latinos may be less involved in their children's education, especially on school campuses, while other studies have found that Latinos are involved in their children's education in different, less traditional ways. This study investigated the relationships among mental health, family factors, and parental involvement in children's education among 43 Latina mothers of elementary school children. The findings suggested somewhat low involvement in their children's education but the most involvement occurred in home-related activities. These women showed little indication of stress and depression and these items were not significantly related to their involvement. Mothers' age and number of children were negatively related to some types of parental involvement while length of time in the United States was somewhat positively related to involvement in school-site activities. Implications for social work practice and future research are discussed.

Author: Anneliese Joy Bass
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 82

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Book Description
Parent-infant interactions provide essential contexts in which infants learn strategies for social functioning and regulating arousal. This study explored two structural qualities of parent-infant interactions, dyadic synchrony and flexibility, thought to reflect mutual regulation. The study further explored relations among these structural constructs and contextual factors including marital satisfaction, parental depressive symptoms, parenting stress, and parent and infant affect in the interaction. Mothers, fathers, and their 6-month old male and female infants (N = 164) took part in the Still Face Paradigm. Parents provided self-report of marital satisfaction, depressive symptoms, and parenting stress. Results suggest that synchrony and flexibility represent related but independent constructs. Flexibility and synchrony were associated with parent and infant affect in the interaction; results differed slightly depending on the interactional context (mother/father, face-to-face/reunion). Mother-infant flexibility in the reunion episode was related to maternal depressive symptoms and report of parenting stress. Maternal positive affect in the reunion interaction was associated with maternal report of marital satisfaction; whereas infant negative affect expressed in father-child reunion interactions was associated with paternal marital satisfaction. Results illuminate the distinctions and similarities between flexibility and synchrony, and the relations among flexibility in parent-infant interactions and contextual factors.

Author: Anne Marie Ambert
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317720563
Category : Family & Relationships
Languages : en
Pages : 252

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Book Description
Recognize the hidden costs and rewards of childrearing! The Effect of Children on Parents, Second Edition, thoughtfully explores the interactions by which parents and children change, develop, and sometimes affect each other negatively. Everyone knows that parents influence their children, but few people consider the ways in which children affect their parents. The love, satisfaction, and fulfillment children offer can change parents’lives. So can the stress, worry, and financial drain. The Effect of Children on Parents, Second Edition, honestly confronts these long-neglected issues of family dynamics. Taking a unique interdisciplinary approach, this book describes in great detail, with jargon-free language the various aspects of children's effects on their parents. This second edition contains an abundance of fresh information, including nine entirely new chapters that deal with such complex topics as the effects on parents of children with emotional, behavioral, and delinquency problems. The Effect of Children on Parents, Second Edition, asks and answers essential questions on the parent-child dynamic, including: what role does genetic inheritance play in children's responses to their parents? how do peers influence children and through them, their parents? what happens to parents when children are difficult or have emotional problems? what special considerations apply to minority or adoptive parents? how do adult childrem affect their aging parents? how does society support or undermine parents? what roadblocks prevent parents from being as effective as they would like to be? The Effect of Children on Parents, Second Edition, takes a brave look at this often ignored area of family dynamics, giving a richer, more complex, and ultimately more healing view of how humans interact in families. Professors, students, and experts in the fields of child development, family studies, and sociology of childhood and family will find this book a sophisticated tool in their desire to better understand and help families and children.

Author: The St. Petersburg-USA Orphanage Research Team
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 1444309692
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 300

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Book Description
Undertaken at orphanages in Russia, this study tests the role of early social and emotion experience in the development of children. Children were exposed to either multiple caregivers who performed routine duties in a perfunctory manner with minimal interaction or fewer caregivers who were trained to engage in warm, responsive, and developmentally appropriate interactions during routine care. Engaged and responsive caregivers were associated with substantial improvements in child development and these findings provide a rationale for making similar improvements in other institutions, programs, and organizations.