Previous research on biomarkers of individual differences in sensitivity to caregiving contexts has largely focused on children’s parasympathetic activity, commonly indexed by RSA. Recent work, however, suggests that the parent–child dyadic RSA concordance may also provide important insight into heterogeneity in the links between parenting behaviors and children’s adjustment outcomes. This study is among the first to characterize dyadic patterns of RSA concordance between behaviorally inhibited children aged 3.5 to 5 years old (54% female, 47% White) and their caregivers (n = 107 dyads) across tasks designed to mimic children’s exposure to novel social interactions while parents observed their children navigating these tasks. Furthermore, we examined dyadic RSA concordance as a potential moderator of the associations between nurturing and intrusive parenting behaviors and children’s adjustment problems, as reported by teachers and parents. We found that a more positive concordance (i.e., caregivers and children demonstrated similar patterns of epoch-to-epoch RSA change across tasks) protected against teacher-reported internalizing problems in the context of low parental nurturance. A negative concordance (i.e., caregivers and children demonstrated dissimilar patterns of epoch-to-epoch RSA change across tasks), however, exacerbated the risk for parents’ reports of children’s externalizing behaviors in the context of high parental intrusion.

Parents involved with child protective services (CPS) often face stressors that compromise their parenting; thus, it is critical to identify sources of resilience at multiple ecological levels. This study leveraged cross-sectional data from a study of CPS-involved parent-child dyads (N = 129). Most parents identified as having a minoritized racial/ethnic identity and as having low income. Parent responsive involvement, constructive discipline, and problematic discipline were coded from observations of parent-child interactions when children were approximately 4 years old (M = 4.19 years, SD = .34; 45.7% female). Neighborhood resource availability was assessed using the Childhood Opportunity Index, a publicly available measure of resources in a given census tract. Parental attachment was coded from the Adult Attachment Interview. Greater neighborhood resource availability and secure-autonomous parental attachment were associated with reduced problematic discipline. Additionally, parental attachment moderated the link between neighborhood resource availability and responsive involvement, such that autonomous parents in more resourced neighborhoods demonstrated strengths in positive, warm parenting. These findings highlight the potential of neighborhood resources and secure attachment to strengthen parenting, even in the face of adversity, supporting the resilience of families in marginalized communities.

Childhood maltreatment can lead to poor socioemotional development, which may undermine parental functioning in adulthood. Having a large social network of relatives and friends, however, might buffer the effects of childhood maltreatment on parents. This prediction was examined using prospective data from the Minnesota Longitudinal Study of Risk Adaptation (N = 173). Early childhood maltreatment was assessed prospectively at ages 0 – 5. Socioemotional competence during middle childhood and adolescence (ages 5 – 16) was assessed via teacher reports. Adult parenting was assessed using a semi-structured interview at age 32 (N = 106) and dyadic parent-child observations at various ages (N = 85). At age 32, participants also wrote the names of friends and relatives in their inner, middle, and outer social circles. In a moderated mediation analysis, childhood maltreatment forecasted low socioemotional competence, which in turn predicted more negative parental orientations (greater hostility and lower emotional connectedness and involvement) and lower observed parental support in adulthood. However, having a large social network and having friends in one’s inner circle buffered this effect. These results highlight the significance of social networks in supporting parents who were maltreated in childhood, and primarily the importance of close friends.

Language mixing is a common phenomenon in the language input of bilingual children. However, the relation between the frequency of parental language mixing and children’s language development remains unclear. The present study investigates the relation between language mixing as observed in daylong audio recordings (LENA) and as reported by parents in the questionnaire for Quantifying Bilingual Experience (Q-BEx) and children’s language outcomes in the majority and minority language. Participants were 52 3-to-5-year-old Polish-Dutch and Turkish-Dutch children in the Netherlands and Bayesian informative hypothesis evaluations were applied. In 14 out of 15 regression analyses, the LENA and Q-BEx measures yielded similar associations with children’s language outcomes. Parental language mixing was not related to majority language outcomes, but a negative relation was found with expressive vocabulary in the minority language. Longitudinal studies are needed to pinpoint the directionality of this negative relation.

The development of parenting behaviors is influenced by the coparenting relationship – how parents coordinate and manage their shared parenting responsibilities. However, mothers and fathers may exhibit varying degrees of susceptibility to the coparenting relationship, and different factors may further shape their susceptibility. Longitudinal data from 182 different-sex dual-earner parent families were used (86% White, mostly middle- and upper-class families). Observations of coparenting and parenting behaviors were obtained at 3 and 9 months postpartum. Mothers and fathers reported their beliefs about parental roles and parenting at the third trimester of pregnancy and reported their parenting self-efficacy and infant temperament at 3 months. The results of cross-lagged panel models showed that the associations between coparenting and parenting were not significantly different for mothers and fathers. However, the moderators that shaped the associations between coparenting and parenting were distinct for mothers and fathers. Fathers’ less progressive parental role beliefs strengthened the association between supportive coparenting and positive parenting, and mothers’ lower parenting self-efficacy and children’s lower regulatory capacity enhanced the link between undermining coparenting and negative parenting. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Children with developmental language disorder (DLD) often struggle with theory of mind (ToM). This study explored the link between parental reflective functioning (PRF) and children’s ToM, focusing on the mediating role of parental stress (PS). A total of 80 children aged 4–7 years (40 with DLD and 40 with typical language development, TLD) and their parents were included for analysis. Assessments included the WPPSI-IV, NEPSY-II, TEC, and ELT for children and the PRFQ and PSI-SF4 for parents. Results showed that children with DLD performed similarly to their TLD peers in terms of nonverbal intelligence but faced difficulties with cognitive and affective ToM and understanding of emotional terms (UET). Parents of DLD children exhibited low interest and curiosity (PRF components) and high PS, particularly due to dysfunctional interactions and challenging behaviors. Mediation analysis revealed that low parental interest and curiosity negatively affected children’s cognitive ToM and UET through increased PS from dysfunctional interactions. These findings highlight the need for early interventions to enhance ToM in children with DLD and support parents in better understanding and interacting with their child. Such interventions can reduce parent–child stress and promote ToM development of children with DLD, aligning with bioecological models of development.

This study utilized a novel, observational paradigm to identify functional patterns of father responsiveness to child distress. In particular, we sought to identify a pattern of caregiving deactivation characterized by parenting behavior that functioned to minimize activation of the caregiving behavioral system. We also sought to identify a pattern of caregiving hyperactivation characterized by parenting behavior that functioned to maintain or heighten caregiving system activation. In turn, we examined whether caregiving deactivation and hyperactivation were differentially associated with children’s socioemotional development over a two-year period. Participants included 235 fathers (55% White) and children (Mage = 2.97; 55% female) who visited the laboratory at two measurement occasions spaced approximately two years apart. A path model analysis revealed that caregiving deactivation was uniquely associated with decreases in children’s oppositional defiance and hostility over a two-year period. In contrast, caregiving hyperactivation was uniquely associated with increases in children’s anxiety and social disengagement two years later. The findings highlight the importance of considering both form and function in parenting behavior and provide evidence on the importance of considering fathers’ caregiving behavior.

Mothers living in low-income families are more likely to experience depressive symptoms and parenting stress which in turn can undermine mother–child interactions adversely influencing child outcomes. Previous studies demonstrate that social support is beneficial for low-income mothers to fulfill caregiving responsibilities and promote positive child outcomes. However, the longitudinal application of the Family Stress Model with protective factors remains unexplored in the literature. Thus, we examined the association between parenting stress and depressive symptoms at year 1 with harsh and responsive parenting at year 3. Then, we examined whether parenting practices at year 3 predicted child outcomes at year 5 and the main and moderating effects of social support at year 1 and year 3 on parenting and child outcomes. The sample included 1,968 mothers from the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study. Results showed that parenting stress significantly predicted harsh parenting. Harsh parenting was associated with more internalizing behavior problems and decreased adaptive social behavior. Responsive parenting was associated only with fewer internalizing behavior problems. The main effects of social support on responsive and harsh parenting and child outcomes were significant. Specific intervention programs targeted at reducing parenting stress, enhancing parenting skills, and improving the social support network should be designed to support mothers in the context of economic adversity.

In China, low levels of early childhood development (ECD) in rural areas may inhibit economic development as the nation attempts to transition from a middle-income manufacturing-based economy to a high-income innovation economy. This paper surveys the recent literature on ECD among children ages 0-3 years in rural China, including rates of developmental delays, causes of delays, and implications for the future of China's economy. Recent studies have found high rates of developmental delays among young children in rural China and point to poor nutrition and psychosocial stimulation as the primary causes. This review highlights the need for large-scale ECD interventions in rural China to raise human capital and support future economic growth.

Parenting programs are effective ways to reduce child maltreatment and promote nurturing parent–child relationships. Yet, the potential of faith-based, positive parent programs, particularly those conducted globally at scale, remains underexplored. We conducted a pre-post and 6-month follow-up, single-group study of a faith- and community-based parenting program, Celebrating Families (CF), in 12 countries in sub-Saharan Africa, Central America and South East Asia. Using a train-the-trainers model, faith leaders delivered group-based parenting workshops over 3–5 days to a nonrandomized sample of 2201 caregivers across 12 countries. Data was collected at three time points. Shifts in caregiver attitudes and beliefs were assessed pre- and post, and harsh parenting behaviors were measured at pre- and 6-months after CF parent program implementation. Acceptability was demonstrated by high attendance and high satisfaction ratings from facilitators and caregivers. Trained faith and community leaders feasibly delivered the CF parent groups and were rated by caregivers to have strong teaching skills. Qualitative analysis of their feedback at 6-month follow-up highlighted barriers to implementation and areas for improvement. Results with those caregivers who completed the program suggest large to medium effect size improvements in caregiver attitudes around harsh discipline and nurturing parenting by country and change in reported use of harsh parenting behaviors at 6 months. Findings suggest that CF is a feasible and acceptable program with promising short-term effects for caregivers of children and adolescents in low- and middle-income countries.

For refugee children, there are a number of risk factors for poor mental health and psychosocial well-being, many of them exacerbated for those refugee children living in low-resource settings. There is some evidence that caregiver warmth, parenting self-efficacy and positive relationships between caregivers and children can act as protective factors against poor mental health outcomes for children and adolescents. This study sought to assess if caregiver-level factors (parental warmth and affection, positive child-caregiver interaction and parenting self-efficacy) are protective for symptoms of child depression. To address these questions, a quantitative survey was implemented (n = 501) in the Imvepi refugee settlement in Uganda. Results indicated bivariate associations between several caregiver-level factors and child depression. However, in multivariate models, which included measures of economic stress, both parental warmth and affection and child-caregiver interaction were no longer significantly associated with child-reported depression. Parenting self-efficacy was found to be significantly associated with lower child-reported depression. These findings indicate the need to examine and explore how or if caregiver-level factors, such as warmth and parenting self-efficacy, as well as child-caregiver relationships overall, operate in the context of chronic stress. Whereas caregiver-level factors are potentially protective against poor mental health for refugee children, contextual factors, such as poverty and livelihood opportunities, may constrain the positive impacts of parenting.