A responsive parenting intervention: The optimal timing across early childhood for impacting maternal behaviors and child outcomes.

Abstract

This study examined the optimal timing (infancy, toddler-preschool, or both) for facilitating responsive parenting and the intervention effects on maternal behaviors and child social and communication skills for children who vary in biological risk. The intervention during infancy, Playing and Learning Strategies (PALS I), showed strong changes in maternal affective-emotional and cognitively responsive behaviors and infants' development. However, it was hypothesized that a 2nd intervention dose in the toddler-preschool period was needed for optimal results. Families from the PALS I phase were rerandomized into either the PALS II, the toddler-preschool phase, or a Developmental Assessment Sessions condition, resulting in 4 groups. Facilitation of maternal warmth occurred best with the PALS I intervention, while cognitive responsive behaviors were best supported with the PALS II intervention. Behaviors that required responsiveness to the child's changing signals (contingent responsiveness, redirecting) required the intervention across both the early and later periods. Keywordsparenting; responsiveness; early intervention; child outcomes Responsive parenting described from different theoretical frameworks (e.g., attachment) emphasizes an affective-emotional style with positive affection and high levels of warmth and nurturance (Darling & Steinberg, 1993), responses that are contingently linked to children's signals, and acceptance of children as unique individuals (Ainsworth, Blehar, Waters, & Wall, 1978;Bornstein, 1985). From a sociocultural framework, the behaviors that fit into this style have been expanded to include cognitively responsive behaviors such as maintaining children's focus of interest (Akhtar, Dunham, & Dunham, 1991;Tomasello & Farrar, 1986) and the use of rich verbal input that is responsive to children's signals Tamis-LeMonda, Bornstein, & Baumwell, 2001 NIH-PA Author ManuscriptNIH-PA Author Manuscript NIH-PA Author Manuscript parenting as critically important for its role in providing a strong foundation for children to develop optimally (Ainsworth et al., 1978;Bornstein, 1985). Through repeated experiences of responsive interactions with parents that incorporate these behaviors, children are thought to internalize and generalize their learning to new experiences (e.g., Ainsworth et al., 1978;Bornstein & Tamis-LeMonda, 1989;Grusec & Goodnow, 1994). It also has been documented that parents can be supported through interventions to increase this aspect of parenting that, in turn, has facilitated a range of children's outcomes (Juffer, Hoksbergen, Riksen-Walraven, & Kohnstamm, 1997;Landry, Smith, & Swank, 2006; Van Zeigl, Mesman, Van IJzendoorn, Bakermans-Kranenburg, & Juffer, 2006).What is less well understood is whether there are developmental periods during which the influence of this parenting style is particularly important or whether consistency in responsive parenting is needed. For example, some theories identify responsive parenting during infancy as most critical, while others d...

The Relationship Among Caregiver Depressive Symptoms, Parenting Behavior, and Family-Centered Care

“…Parenting behaviors included routines, enrichment, punitive disciplinary behaviors, positive disciplinary strategies, and childproofing (see descriptions below). Recent literature has defined positive parenting behaviors that have been associated with optimal child health and developmental outcomes as well as negative parenting behaviors that have been associated with adverse child outcomes (Belsky & Jaffee, 2006;Belsky & Pluess, 2009;Chronis et al, 2007;de Graaf, Speetjens, Smit, de Wolff, & Tavecchio, 2008a, 2008bJuffers, Bakersmans-Kraneburg, & Van Ijzendoorn, 2008a, 2008bLandry & Smith, 2011;Landry, Smith, & Swank, 2006;Landry, Smith, Swank, & Guttentag, 2008;Matsumoto, Sofronoff, & Sanders, 2010;Morrongiello & Kiriakou, 2004;Mulvaney & Mebert, 2010;Nowak & Heinrichs, 2008;Perrin, Sheldrick, McMenamy, Henson, & Carter, 2014;Sanders, Bor, & Morawska, 2007;Shonkoff, 2010;Shonkoff, Garner, et al, 2012;Spijkers, Jansen, de Meer, & Reijneveld, 2010;Tamis-LeMonda & Baumwell, 2011;Thomas & Zimmer-Gembeck, 2007;Vanderveen, Bassler, Robertson, & Kirpalani, 2009;Wiggins, Sofronoff, & Sanders, 2009). The parenting behaviors described below fit with the current conceptualization of positive and negative parenting behavior.…”

Interacciones tempranas madre-niño y predicción de desarrollo motor mediante ecuaciones estructurales: Aplicación del modelo en niños con riesgo de daño neurológico perinatal

“…Se ha mostrado que durante los primeros años de vida, existe relación entre las interacciones madre-hijo y el desa rrollo cognitivo, social y lingüístico de los niños (Evans & Porter, 2009;Landry, Smith, Miller-Lancar & Surank, 1998;Masur & Olson, 2008;Murray & Hornbaker, 1997;Page, Wilhelm, Gamble & Card, 2010;Pearson et al, 2011;Young, Merin, Rogers & Ozonoff, 2009). Los programas de intervención temprana que han contemplado en sus estrategias diversas acciones para mejorar estas interaciones, han sido considerados más exitosos al mostrar su impacto favorable en el desarrollo de los niños (Góngora & Farkas, 2009;Kleberg, Westrup & Stjernqvist, 2000;Landry, Smith, Swank & Guttentag, 2008;Landry et al, 2011;Mendelsohn et al, 2011;Neu & Robinson, 2010;Newnham, Milgrom & Skouteris, 2008;Smith, Cumming & Xeros-Constantinides, 2010;Taylor, Davis & Kemper, 1997). Con relación a las interacciones madre-hijo en niños considerados con riesgo, se han reportado mayores interac ciones en madres de niños de bajo riesgo que en las de niños de al to riesgo (Korja, Latva & Lehtonen, 2012).…”

“…Se ha considerado que el éxito de tales interacciones, está determina do por el conocimiento y la sensibilidad materna para identificar las necesidades de sus niños (Mills-Koonce et al, 2007;Wilder & Granlund, 2003). Cuando las madres se ajustan en una relación bidireccional a los cambios en las destrezas de sus niños, se logra un aumento en las iniciaciones de ellos (Landry, Smith, Swank & Guttentag, 2008). En este sentido, se conoce que no sólo los cambios interactivos de las madres obedecen a los cambios en el de sarrollo del niño: también los cambios en la madre pueden influir en el proceso de desarrollo del niño co mo influencias recí-procas (Evans & Porter, 2009;Leitch, 1999;Skuban, Shaw, Gardner, Supplee & Nichols, 2006).…”

Protección Social en América Latina La Desigualdad en el Banquillo

“…En tal sentido, los programas preescolares exitosos representan grandes ganancias para la inversión pública, pues producen ahorros asociados con una menor criminalidad y preparan a las futuras generaciones para una exitosa inserción escolar y laboral. Por su parte, las intervenciones dirigidas a mejorar las prácticas de cuidado de las madres y los padres han mostrado efectos beneficiosos en sus interacciones con sus hijas e hijos y en sus logros (Heckman, 2008;Landry y otros, 2008;Weisleder, 2010a).…”