This multimethod, prospective study examined the nature of pathways between interparental hostility and withdrawal, parental emotional unavailability, subsequent changes in children's internalizing externalizing behaviors, school adjustment difficulties over a 3‐year period sample 210 mothers, fathers, 6‐year‐old children. The results autoregressive structural equation models indicated that withdrawal had detrimental impact on all areas adjustment, whereas an indirect effect child...

Abstract Child maltreatment and polymorphisms of the serotonin transporter ( 5-HTT ) monoamine oxidase A MAOA genes were examined in relation to depressive symptomatology. Adolescents M age = 16.7 years) from low socioeconomic backgrounds with a history child n 207) or no such 132) interviewed provided buccal cells for genetic analysis. Gene × environment interactions observed. Heightened symptoms found only among extensively maltreated youth activity. Among comparably high activity,...

This study examined the interplay between interparental conflict and child cortisol reactivity to in predicting maladjustment a sample of 178 families their kindergarten children. Consistent with allostatic load hypothesis (McEwen & Stellar, 1993), results indicated that was indirectly related through its association individual differences reactivity. Analyses multimethod assessment associated lower levels simulated phone parents. Diminished reactivity, turn, predicted increases parental...

Abstract Longitudinal effects of child maltreatment on cortisol regulation in infants from age 1 to 3 years were investigated the context a randomized preventive intervention trial. Thirteen-month-old maltreating families ( N = 91) and their mothers randomly assigned one three conditions: child–parent psychotherapy, psychoeducational parenting intervention, control group involving standard community services (CS). A fourth nonmaltreating 52) comprised nonmaltreated comparison (NC) group. The...

Toward advancing conceptualizations of the spillover hypothesis, this study examined conditions and mechanisms underlying transmission distress from interparental relationship to parenting difficulties over a 2-year period in sample 233 mothers (M = 35.0 years) fathers 36.8 kindergarten children. Findings autoregressive structural equation models indicated that parents' gender moderated associations between conflict parental psychological control insensitivity children's negative affect....

Our goal in the present study was to examine specificity of pathways among interparental violence, maternal emotional unavailability, and children's cortisol reactivity stressors within parent-child relationships. The also tested whether detrimental family contexts were associated, on average, with hypocortisolism or hypercortisolism responses stressful interactions young children. Participants included 201 toddlers their mothers who from impoverished backgrounds experienced disproportionate...

Associations between young children's developing theory of mind (ToM) and judgments prototypical moral transgressions were examined 3 times across 1 year in 70 American middle class 2.5- to 4-year-olds. Separate path models controlling for cross-time stability judgments, within-time associations, age at Wave indicated that both 6-month intervals, children who evaluated acts as more wrong independent authority had mature ToM 6 months later; addition, less permissible 2 also led advanced 3....

This study examined the nature of pathways between marital hostility and withdrawal, parental disagreements about child rearing issues, subsequent changes in emotional unavailability inconsistent discipline a sample 225 mothers, fathers, 6-year-old children. Results autoregressive, structural equation models indicated that withdrawal were associated with increases over one-year period, whereas did not predict inconsistency discipline. Additional findings supported role as an intervening or...

Relations among maternal depression, child attachment, and children’s representations of parents self were examined. Participants included toddlers their mothers with a history major depressive disorder ( n = 63) or no mental 68). Attachment was assessed at 20 36 months 48 months. Depressive symptoms all 3 time points. While early‐occurring depression had negative impact on positive parents, attachment security mediated the relation between representations. served as an intervening variable...

This multi‐method study sought to identify parameters of developmental change and stability child reaction patterns interparental conflict in the context family relations a sample 223 6‐year‐old children their parents followed over course one year. Consistent with sensitization hypothesis, withdrawal hostility each consistently uniquely predicted distress reactions even after analytically controlling for parental warmth. Associations were found across multiple domains responding (i.e., overt...

Guided by family systems theory, the present study sought to identify patterns of functioning from observational assessments interparental, parent–child, and triadic contexts. In addition, it charted implications for children’s developmental trajectories adjustment in school context across early years. Two‐hundred thirty‐four kindergarten children (129 girls 105 boys; mean age = 6.0 years, SD 0.50 at Wave 1) their parents participated this multimethod, 3‐year longitudinal investigation. As...

This study examined how children's insecure internal representations of interparental and parent-child relationships served as explanatory mechanisms in multiple pathways linking conflict parent emotional unavailability with the classroom engagement difficulties children had their adjustment to school. With parents, 229 kindergarten (127 girls 102 boys, mean age = 6.0 years, SD .50, at Wave 1) participated this multimethod, 3-year longitudinal investigation. Findings revealed that...

This multistudy article examined the relative strength of mediational pathways involving hostile, disengaged, and uncooperative forms interparental conflict, children's emotional insecurity, their externalizing problems across 2 longitudinal studies. Participants in Study 1 consisted 243 preschool children (M age = 4.60 years) parents, whereas 263 adolescents 12.62 parents. Both studies utilized multimethod, multi-informant assessment batteries within a design with 3 measurement occasions....

Children from different socioeconomic backgrounds have differing abilities to delay gratification, and impoverished children the greatest difficulties in doing so. In present study, we examined role of vagal tone predicting ability gratification both resource-rich resource-poor environments. We derived hypotheses evolutionary models children's conditional adaptation proximal rearing contexts. Study 1, tested whether elevated was associated with shorter children. 2, compared relative across...

Associations among hypothetical, prototypic moral, and conventional judgments; theory of mind (ToM); empathy; personal distress were examined in 108 socioeconomically diverse preschoolers (Mage = 42.94 months, SD 1.42). Repeated measures analysis covariance with empathy, false beliefs, their interaction as covariates indicated that empathy was significantly associated judgments greater moral but not transgression severity, particularly for psychological harm, deserved punishment unfairness....

In the current study, we examined potential for transactional relations among parents' marital satisfaction, coparental cooperation and conflict, parent-child relationship satisfaction in a sample of 249 families with 2-3-year-old children. Using novel multiwave design frequent assessments to better capture family processes, mothers fathers were assessed across 5 waves 2-month lags; mean age target children (53% girls) was 2.8 years (SD = 0.62) at baseline. Cross-lagged, multilevel...

Guided by family risk and allostasis theoretical frameworks, the present study utilized a prospective longitudinal design to examine associations among experiences, basal cortisol patterns, cognitive functioning in children. The sample included 201 low-income children living within midsize city Northeastern United States. Children were assessed at ages 2, 3, 4 years. Growth-mixture modeling analyses revealed three patterns (elevated, moderate, low) these remained relatively stable across...

Drawing on a two-wave, multimethod, multi-informant design, this study provides the first test of process model spillover specifying why and how disruptions in coparenting relationship influence parent-adolescent attachment relationship. One hundred ninety-four families with an adolescent aged 12-14 (M age = 12.4) were followed for 1 year. Mothers adolescents participated two experimental tasks designed to elicit behavioral expressions parent functioning within Using novel observational...

Effortful control has been demonstrated to have important ramifications for children's self-regulation and social-emotional adjustment. However, there are wide socioeconomic disparities in effortful control, with impoverished children displaying heightened difficulties. The current study was designed demonstrate how instability within the proximal rearing context of young may serve as a key operant on development poverty. Two separate studies were conducted that included samples living homes...

Background Harsh environments are known to predict deficits in children's cognitive abilities. Life history theory approaches challenge this interpretation, proposing stressed cognition becomes specialized solve problems fitness‐enhancing ways. The goal of study was examine associations between early environmental harshness and problem‐solving outcomes across tasks varying ecological relevance. In addition, we utilize an evolutionary model temperament toward further specifying whether hawk...

Abstract Objective. This study assessed the direct and indirect relations between 2 types of social support - parenting general optimal parenting. Design. Self-report data were gathered from 165 married mothers firstborn 4th-graders ages 9 11 years. Widely accepted measures warmth, monitoring, psychological distress, stress, used. A measure family friends was developed for this study. Results. Path analysis indicated that relation specific completely mediated by stress not distress. The...

This study examined interrelationships among children’s cortisol reactivity and their psychological to interparental conflict in a sample of 208 first graders (mean age = 6.6 years). Assessments distinguished distress, hostile, involvement responses across multiple methods (i.e., observation, questionnaire) informants observer, parent). Relative other forms reactivity, distress were consistent, unique predictors elevated even after inclusion demographic factors as moderators covariates....

This study examined children's peer information processing as an explanatory mechanism underlying the association between their insecure representations of interparental and parent-child relationships school adjustment in a sample 210 first graders. Consistent with emotional security theory (P. T. Davies & E. M. Cummings, 1994), results indicated that relationship were indirectly related to academic functioning through negative stressful events. Insecure specifically linked patterns that,...

This paper examined children's fearful, sad, and angry reactivity to interparental conflict as mediators of associations between their exposure aggression physiological functioning.Participants included 200 toddlers mothers. Assessments emotional were derived from maternal surveys a semi-structured interview. Cortisol levels cardiac indices sympathetic nervous system (SNS) parasympathetic (PNS) activity used assess toddler functioning.Results indicated that was associated with greater...