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Parent‐centered emotion socialization beliefs that children should manage their emotions on their own without parent support may seem convenient for parents but may actually relate to greater parenting stress if this approach is incompatible with children's developmental needs. We explored relations between mothers' and fathers' parent‐centered autonomy beliefs about children's emotions and their parenting stress, controlling for child behavior problems and parent education. We also examined whether these associations varied depending on child age. Participants included 142 mothers and 60 paired fathers with a 5‐ to 8‐year‐old child who completed survey measures on parenting and child behavior. The sample was primarily White (59%) or Hispanic (20%) and low (44%) to middle income (47%). Path analyses revealed significant actor effects, such that mothers and fathers who endorsed more parent‐centered emotion socialization beliefs reported greater parenting stress. Partner effects showed that mothers also reported greater parenting stress when their partners endorsed more parent‐centered emotion socialization beliefs. Child age did not moderate these associations. Findings are discussed in terms of developmentally appropriate parenting expectations, gender roles for family emotion work, and practical implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The communication of emotion is dynamic and occurs across multiple channels, such as facial expression and tone of voice. When cues are in conflict, interpreting emotion can become challenging. Here, we examined the effects of incongruent emotional cues on toddlers' interpretation of emotions. We presented 33 children (22–26 months, Mage = 23.8 months, 15 female) with side‐by‐side images of faces along with sentences spoken in a tone of voice that conflicted with semantic content. One of the two faces matched the emotional tone of the audio, whereas the other matched the semantic content. For both congruent and incongruent trials, toddlers showed no overall looking preference to either type of face stimuli. However, during the second exposure to the sentences of incongruent trials, older children tended to look longer to the face matching semantic content when listening to happy vs. angry content. Results inform our understanding of the early development of complex emotion understanding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A growing body of research reveals a connection between maternal incarceration and various child development outcomes. Even so, little is known about how the timing of maternal incarceration may shape the social–emotional development of young children and the role of maternal mental health in mediating this association. Using a sample of 1097 mothers (18–52 years old, 47.6% white) and children (aged 12–48 months) receiving home visiting services in Wisconsin, this study examined the intergenerational effect of incarceration before a child's birth on child social–emotional development, and whether this association was mediated by maternal mental health. While incarceration prior to a child's birth was not directly associated with child social–emotional outcomes, path analysis revealed an indirect association between mother's incarceration prior to a child's birth and child social–emotional problems through maternal mental health problems. Findings suggest that formerly incarcerated mothers may experience long-lasting mental health concerns that can undermine child social–emotional development. To optimize outcomes, practitioners may consider services that address the mental health, social support, and instrumental needs of mothers and children who have been impacted by mass incarceration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

General-population research on child development in low- and middle-income countries is needed to explore and contextualize caregiver factors. This study evaluates caregiver parenting stress and child social-emotional and motor development among preschool-aged children (42–72 months) among 1222 caregiver-child pairs in São Paulo, Brazil. We investigated associations between parenting stress and child social-emotional development (measured via the Ages and Stages Questionnaire: Social Emotional, Second Edition [ASQ:SE-2]) and motor development (measured via the Motor Development Scale [MDS]), examining potential effect modification of these relationships by parenting social support. Data were analyzed using ordinary least squares regression with inverse probability weights to account for sampling design. Higher parenting stress was associated with delayed child development, indicated by a positive relationship with ASQ:SE-2 scores (higher scores indicating delayed social-emotional development), and a negative relationship with MDS scores (lower scores indicating delayed motor development). Caregiver social support acted as an effect modifier on the relationship between parenting stress and social-emotional development, strengthening the deleterious effect of parenting stress among caregivers with low social support. These results provide insight regarding modifiable caregiver-level factors that may be leveraged to improve child social-emotional development. Future research is needed to elucidate causal mechanisms and clarify relationships between caregiver factors and child motor development. Highlights: There is a paucity of data on how caregiver factors may shape child development in settings beyond Europe and North America. We used data from a population-based study in urban Brazil to explore relationships between caregiver parenting stress and child development. Secondarily, we tested whether caregiver social support acted as an effect modifier in these relationships. Parenting stress was associated with delays in both social-emotional and motor development. These findings contribute to the evidence base and point to the need for further, longitudinal research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Children recognise the praiseworthiness of others' moral actions from quite a young age. The work we propose here focuses on whether and how children's judgements of moral praiseworthiness may be affected by cost incurred by the agents. Recent work has revealed developmental changes in how children consider physical and psychological costs in their judgements of moral praiseworthiness. However, this question has only been examined among US children, and little is known about how much the findings can be generalised across cultures. In this article, we examine the consideration of different types of costs (psychological, physical) in moral evaluation by children in China, and compare to the US data. We choose to study children in China not only because it is a non‐WEIRD culture, but also because recent work has suggested that there are cultural differences between the US and China in terms of how children conceptualise desire inhibition and self‐control. This research will have implications for research on children's moral cognition across cultures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Time pressures make brevity important for parent self-report measures, yet evidence highlights the multi-faceted nature of parenting and contextual influences. To straddle these competing goals, we developed a brief (23-item) yet broad Index of Parental Activities, Context, and Experiences (I-PACE) aimed at parents of toddlers and pre-schoolers. In two studies we assessed the validity and reliability of the I-PACE. Study 1 involved 870 caregivers (95% female, 75% with degrees, 90% White British) and examined I-PACE ratings alongside; (a) ratings of children's social-emotional skills and behavior problems; and (b) child age and parental depressive symptoms, to assess its sensitivity to contrasts in child development and parental experience. Study 2 included 191 families with 14-month-olds, for whom 188 mothers and 178 fathers completed the I-PACE and an index of life satisfaction. Supporting the replicability of findings from the I-PACE, both studies showed the same differentiated 5-factor structure (i.e., parental experiences, parenting activities, home environment quality, neighborhood environment quality and childcare environment quality). Supporting the I-PACE's validity, Study 1 showed that all 5 factors were independently related to both children's social-emotional skills and behavior problems, with predicted associations with child age and parental depressive symptoms. Supporting the I-PACE's inter-rater reliability, within-couple associations were significant for parenting activities, home environment, neighborhood quality and childcare quality. Together, these findings indicate that the I-PACE offers a broad yet brief index of early parenting with good psychometric properties and we discuss promising avenues for future research. Highlights: The new Index of Parental Activities Context and Experiences (I-PACE) showed promising psychometric properties. The I-PACE measure captures the multi-faceted nature of parenting. I-PACE subscales were associated with both child social and emotional skills and behavioural problems. Mother and father reports on the I-PACE are equivalent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To examine the impact of displacement experiences on 0- to 6-year-old children's social-emotional and cognitive development, as well as influencing factors on reported outcomes. Study design: We systematically searched MEDline, Psyndex, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Elsevier, TandF, Oxford Journal of Refugee Studies, Journal of Immigrant & Refugee Studies, and Canada's Journal on Refugees for existing literature regarding social-emotional and cognitive outcomes in children directly exposed to forced displacement due to political violence. Results were synthesized in the discussion and displayed using harvest plots. Results: Our search generated 9,791 articles of which 32 were selected for review and evaluation according to NICE criteria. Included studies provided results for 6,878 forcibly displaced children. Measured outcomes were diverse and included areas such as peer relations, prosocial behavior, family functioning, play, intelligence, learning performance, and language development. Repeated exposure to adverse experiences, separation from parents, parental distress, as well as duration and quality of resettlement in the host country were reported as influencing factors in the reviewed studies. Conclusion: As protective factors like secure and stable living conditions help to promote children's development, we call for policies that enhance participation in the welcoming society for refugee families. Early integration with low-threshold access to health and educational facilities can help to mitigate the wide-ranging negative consequences of forced displacement on young children's development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study aimed to examine patterns of mother–father coparenting relationship quality and their associations with child empathy, emotional insecurity, and behavior problems in families with low income. Background: Given the growing number of nonmarital births and the high risk of relationship dissolution among cohabiting couples living with low income, it is important to examine the coparenting relationships among racially diverse unmarried couples from low‐income contexts. To date, little research has assessed patterns of coparenting relationships and their associations with child socioemotional outcomes among this population. Methods: Participants were 4,266 unmarried couples and their preschool‐aged children from the Building Strong Families study. Latent profile analysis (LPA) was conducted. Results: LPA of survey data from mothers and fathers revealed four coparenting patterns: Profile 1: low quality, more negative maternal coparenting perceptions (7.2%); Profile 2: moderate‐high quality, high congruence, slightly more negative paternal coparenting perceptions (25.2%); Profile 3: low congruence, severely more negative maternal coparenting perceptions (11.8%); and Profile 4: mutual high‐quality coparenting (55.8%). Conclusion: Children of parents with the mutual high‐quality coparenting profile had the most positive outcomes according to maternal reports of child socioemotional development. Highly congruent and positive perceptions of the other parent as a coparent were found to be significant promotive factors for positive child socioemotional development. Implications: Family strengthening policies and programs for unmarried couples with low income should target and support the development of mutually satisfying, high‐quality coparenting relationships, with the ultimate goal to improve developmental outcomes for young children in such families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined different sources of emotion socialization. Children (N = 256, 115 girls, 129 boys, 12 child gender not reported) and parents (62% White, 9% Black, 19% Hispanic, 3% Asian American, and 7% "Other") were recruited from Denver, Colorado. In waves 1 (Mage = 2.45 years, SD = 0.26) and 2 (Mage = 3.51 years, SD = 0.26), parents and children discussed wordless images of children experiencing an emotion (e.g., sad after dropping ice cream). Children's emotion knowledge was assessed at waves 2 and 3 (Mage = 4.48 years, SD = 0.26). Structural equation modeling found concurrent and prospective relations between parents' questions, parents' emotion talk, children's emotion talk, and children's emotion knowledge, highlighting the multidimensional nature of early emotion socialization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Theories of the intergenerational transmission of depression emphasize alterations in emotion processing among offspring of depressed mothers as a key risk mechanism, raising questions about biological processes contributing to these alterations. The objective of this systematic annual research review was to examine and integrate studies of the associations between maternal depression diagnoses and offspring's emotion processing from birth through adolescence across biological measures including autonomic psychophysiology, electroencephalography (EEG), magnetoencephalography (MEG), event‐related potentials (ERP), and structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Methods: The review was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA 2020 standards. A systematic search was conducted in PsycInfo and PubMed in 2022 for studies that included, 1) mothers with and without DSM‐defined depressive disorders assessed via a clinical or diagnostic interview, and 2) measures of offspring emotion processing assessed at the psychophysiological or neural level between birth and 18 years of age. Results: Findings from 64 studies indicated that young offspring of mothers with depression histories exhibit heightened corticolimbic activation to negative emotional stimuli, reduced left frontal brain activation, and reduced ERP and mesocorticolimbic responses to reward cues compared to offspring of never‐depressed mothers. Further, activation of resting‐state networks involved in affective processing differentiate offspring of depressed relative to nondepressed mothers. Some of these alterations were only apparent among youth of depressed mothers exposed to negative environmental contexts or exhibiting current emotional problems. Further, some of these patterns were observable in infancy, reflecting very early emerging vulnerabilities. Conclusions: This systematic review provides evidence that maternal depression is associated with alterations in emotion processing across several biological units of analysis in offspring. We present a preliminary conceptual model of the role of deficient emotion processing in pathways from maternal depression to offspring psychopathology and discuss future research avenues addressing limitations of the existing research and clinical implications. Read the Commentary on this article at doi: 10.1111/jcpp.13769. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The quantity and quality of environmental stimuli and contexts are crucial for children's development. Following the outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19), restrictive measures have been implemented, constraining children's social lives and changing their daily routines. To date, there is a lack of research assessing the long-lasting impacts that these changes have had on children's language and emotional–behavioral development. In a large sample of preschoolers (N = 677), we investigated (a) the long-lasting effects of changes in family and social life and in daily activities over the first Italian nationwide COVID-19-pandemic-related lockdown upon children's linguistic and emotional–behavioral profiles and (b) how children's demographic variables and lifelong family characteristics moderated these associations within a multiple-moderator framework. Our findings showed a relationship between the time spent watching TV/playing video games and affective problems that was moderated by the number of siblings. Our findings showed that children who could be at high risk in more normal circumstances, such as only children, have been particularly harmed. Therefore, assessing the long-term effects of lockdown-related measures and how these could have been moderated by potential risk/protective factors added significant information to the existing literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Motor skills enable multi-facetted interactions with the environment and allow children to develop social skills and respond appropriately to situational social demands when interacting with peers and adults. Previous research with clinical samples (e.g., children diagnosed with Developmental Coordination Disorder) showed that children's motor skills are closely linked to their psychosocial behavior (e.g., prosocial, hyperactive, inattentive, interpersonal), but studies with typically developing children are rare. We sought to fill this research gap by examining relationships between gait variability as an indicator of motor skills and prosocial behavior, problem behavior, and risk-taking behavior in typically developing children. Participants were a large cross-section of 7-13-year-olds (N = 221). They were asked to walk normally across an electronic pathway (GAITRite). We assessed their gait variability (i.e., stride time, stride length and stride velocity). Their parents completed the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire that assessed their child's prosocial behavior, hyperactivity, emotional symptoms, and any conduct or peer relationship problems. Parents also provided information on an adapted scale of the Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire assessing risk-taking behavior. We used multilevel modeling to account for individual interdependence and to analyze the maximum number of strides for each participant. Children with greater stride length variability and velocity showed significantly less prosocial behavior, had more emotional symptoms and demonstrated less risk-taking behavior. Stride time variability was not significantly related to any variables. These results align with past findings that gait is sensitive to motor skill differences, and they extend past findings of these associations between gait and facets of intra- and interpersonal characteristics among children within clinical disorders to typically developing children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Child risk profiles differed in their social-emotional and learning outcomes over time. • Only children in certain risk profiles benefitted from Head Start. • The benefits children experienced from Head Start emerged at different times. This study examined whether exposure to different patterns of poverty-related adversity (i.e., risk profiles) was associated with longitudinal child outcomes and children's response to Head Start. Data came from the Head Start Impact Study involving 3-year-old children (N = 2449; 52 % girls; 37 % Latiné; 33 % White; 30 % Black). Results from latent profile analysis and time-varying effect modeling suggested that (a) child risk profiles differed in their social-emotional and learning outcomes over time, (b) only children in certain risk profiles benefitted from Head Start, and (c) these benefits emerged at different times. Findings can be used to inform tailored approaches to ensure the greatest number of children benefit from early educational interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Children now participate in audio and video calls with their parents and relatives using smartphones. We assessed if video calls help children to have more expressive conversation. We talked with 60 children aged between four and eight years on audio and video calls using smartphones in a controlled environment. We observed how they participated in the conversation and if they could recall what they heard over a call and solve a problem involving physical artifacts while receiving help on a call. Video calls were found to engage children aged four to six years 32.84% and seven and eight years 47.75% longer than audio calls. The children used bodily gestures and interrupted the person with whom they were having conversation to make a point of their own more often on video calls. The difference in the number of children who could initiate audio and video calls was insignificant. We found that 67% of the children aged four to six years could recall a story they had heard on a video call, while only 27% of them could do so for audio calls. Additionally, 20% of the children aged seven and eight years could solve a problem involving physical artifacts when receiving instructions over video calls, while none of them could do so when receiving instructions on audio calls. Video calls can contribute in child development in several ways including instilling a sense of proximity and security among children. Specialized video chatting apps may be developed for children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mother–child emotion-related conversations, as a practice of parental socialization of emotion, can help children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) develop socio-emotional skills. This study intends to explore relationships between mother–child conversations about emotions and socio-emotional skills of children with ASD by accounting for the moderating role of children personality traits and mothers' emotional openness. Mothers of children with ASD (n = 49) responded to five questionnaires describing their conversations about emotions, emotional openness as well as their child's socio-emotional skills and personality. We conducted hierarchical regression and moderation analyses. Our findings indicate that frequent mother–child conversations about emotions significantly predict higher emotional regulation and Theory of Mind (ToM) abilities in children with ASD (p < 0.05). Moreover, children's consciousness and openness to experience, along with mothers' emotional openness significantly moderate the relation between mother–child conversations about emotions and children's ToM skills (p < 0.05). Mother–child conversations about emotions, as a practice of parental socialization of emotion, could be beneficial for children with ASD. Children's personality traits and mothers' openness to emotion may act as a protective factor of ToM skills in children with ASD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Art exposure can influence children's emotional growth, but little is known about tools that aid emotional development in art museums. We implemented attentional and social manipulations to test whether (1) modifications to unscripted instructions and (2) caregiver prompts shape children's attentional focus towards either the emotional or elemental content (e.g., colour andmedium) of paintings. Thesemanipulations occurred within an on-going art museum education programme. Afterwards, children's (N = 60; ages 3-13 years) attentional focus towards emotions or elements was assessed by asking them to select words that best described the art. Children focused on emotion more, but the instructional manipulation successfully influenced word choices towards the targeted focus. Caregiver prompts also influenced focus towards the elements and away from emotions. These findings highlight that children's attention to art's emotional content can be altered by social context, which here was demonstrated within a museum programme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shyness, which is characterized by social withdrawal behaviours and approaching‐withdrawal conflicted social motivations, is suggested to influence children's social–emotional development. This study examined the association between shyness and social–emotional development among Chinese children aged 3 to 12. A systematic search of both Chinese and international databases for relevant research between 1990 and 2020 yielded 23 studies (n = 9,009 children), which were systematically reviewed. Among them, 15 studies (n = 6,303 children) were included in the meta‐analyses. Results from random‐effects models indicated that shyness was positively associated with internalizing problems (r=.21,p<.01), externalizing problems (r=.14,p<.01), peer victimization (r=.23,p<.05), and asocial behaviours (r=.47,p<.05), and negatively associated with peer preference (r=−.19,p<.01) and school social competence (for school‐aged children r=−.19,p<.01; for preschool children r=−.22,p<.01) in the Chinese context. Further, analyses revealed that the relationship between shyness and social–emotional development was moderated by children's characteristics (e.g., gender, age, receptive vocabulary, and emotional competence), social relationship (e.g., teacher‐child relationship and parent–child attachment), and situational context (e.g., interpersonal similarity). This study suggests that shyness generally exerts negative influences on Chinese children's social–emotional development, but the influences are unique to particular social–emotional domains and moderated by both children's characteristics and environmental factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The increased adoption and dependence of electronic devices have potential implications on parent–child relationships, including parental responsiveness. Few studies have examined the association between parent–child technology interference and developmental outcomes. The objective of this study was to examine the associations between parent–child technology interference and cognitive and social–emotional development in preschool‐aged children (3–5 years). Methods: Participants were 100 parents and their preschool‐aged child from Edmonton, Canada. Parent–child technology interference across six different devices (i.e., cell phone/smartphone, tablet, iPod, television, computer and video game console) was parental reported using an adapted version of the Technology Device Interference Scale, and a total score was calculated. Cognitive development was objectively measured using three iPad‐based tasks from the Early Years Toolbox to capture executive functions (i.e., working memory and response inhibition) and language development (i.e., expressive vocabulary). Social–emotional development was parental reported using the Child Self‐Regulation and Social Behaviour Questionnaire, and seven subscales (i.e., sociability, externalizing, internalizing, prosocial and behavioural, cognitive, and emotional self‐regulation) were calculated. Multiple linear regression models that adjusted for several potential confounders were conducted. Results: The mean total parent–child technology interference score was 4.2 units, which equates to approximately 12–16 interruptions per day due to an electronic device. Approximately 60% of the score was due to interference by a cell phone/smartphone. After removing influential cases based on Cook's distance values, higher parent–child technology interference was significantly associated with lower response inhibition (B = −0.015, 95% CI: −0.028, −0.002) and emotional self‐regulation (B = −0.095, 95% CI: −0.163, −0.028) scores and higher log externalizing (B = 0.033, 95% CI: 0.002, 0.063) and log internalizing (B = 0.034, 95% CI: 0.013, 0.056) scores. Conclusions: Electronic devices, in particular the cell phone/smartphone, appear to interrupt parents' conversations and activities with their preschool‐aged child multiple times per day. Higher parent–child technology interference may be adversely associated with several subdomains of early childhood development. Future longitudinal and experimental research is needed to confirm these findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study compared mothers' stress and the behavioral/emotional problems of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and children with typical development (TD). Furthermore, the relationships among the mothers' stress, the children's behavioral/emotional problems, and the mothers' coping strategies in both groups were identified. The contribution of behavioral/emotional problems to parenting stress in children with ADHD was also studied through mediation effects of the mothers' coping strategies. The parenting stress, coping orientation to problems, and strengths and difficulties questionnaires were administered to 72 mothers of children from 7 to 11 years old: 35 with a clinical diagnosis of ADHD and 37 with typical development. The comparison analyses showed that the mothers' stress and the behavioral/emotional problems of their children were significantly higher in the group with ADHD than in the group without ADHD. Correlation analyses revealed different correlation patterns in the two groups, with behavioral/emotional problems significantly associated with parenting stress and with the disengagement and cognitive reframing coping reported by the mothers of children with ADHD. In addition, the disengagement coping strategy was a significant mediator in the relationship between behavioral/emotional problems and mothers' stress, according to the mediation analysis. The findings illustrate the need to include training in both behavioral strategies and coping strategies in counseling in order to help mothers buffer the impact of stress. This work is supported by the project PSI2016‐78109 (AEI/FEDER, UE) and by University of Valencia UV‐INV‐PREDOC15‐265889. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There has been increasing scholarly attention to the study of maternal sensitivity as a multidimensional construct. This report investigated the predictive value of three dimensions of sensitivity during mother–infant interactions in an effort to gain greater understanding of how specific facets of sensitivity relate to child socioemotional outcomes. Maternal cooperation/attunement (accurate interpretation of infant cues and capacity to adjust the interaction correspondingly), positivity (positive attitude toward the infant), and accessibility/availability (consistent attentiveness) were assessed observationally in 195 mothers of 1‐year‐old infants. Child socioemotional functioning was assessed using behavioral tasks and maternal and teacher reports when children were 4 years of age. The results revealed that maternal accessibility/availability was predictive of less externalizing behavior, more prosocial behavior (mother‐ and teacher‐reported), and better theory of mind, while maternal positivity predicted effortful control. These results highlight the advantages of a multidimensional assessment in understanding how sensitivity predicts different developmental outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Drawings can be used as a method of communication that represents an individual's self‐concept, anxiety, attitude or conflict. Aim: The purpose of this study was to evaluate children's drawing as a measure of dental anxiety in a dental setting. Design: Seventy‐eight children, aged 6‐12 years, were enrolled in this study. Pulp therapy and/or restorative treatment was performed during the first therapeutic session for all participants. Sound, Eye and Motor (SEM) and Frankl scales were used as an objective assessment of behaviour during treatment. After the treatment session, the children were instructed to draw a picture of a person at a dental clinic. Children's drawings were scored by a paediatric dentist and a psychologist using Child Drawing: Hospital (CD: H) scale and emotional indicators of Human Figure Drawings (HFD). The findings were compared with Frankl and SEM scores. Results: There was a significant negative correlation between Frankl and CD: H scores (P =.017), and a significant negative correlation was found between HFD and Frankl scores (P =.048). Conclusion: Drawings can reveal a considerable amount of information about children's emotional status, and children's drawing can be a useful non‐verbal self‐report measure to evaluate anxiety in a paediatric dental setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the relations between maternal reactions to children's negative emotions and children's socio-emotional outcomes, including psychological adjustment, emotion knowledge, and coping strategies. European American and Chinese immigrant mothers reported on their reactions to children's (N = 117, M = 7.14 years) negative emotions and on children's psychological adjustment. One year later, children were interviewed for emotion knowledge and mothers reported on children's use of coping strategies. Mothers from the two cultural groups reported the same level of supportive reactions to their children's negative emotions, whereas Chinese immigrant mothers more often adopted what are commonly considered to be non-supportive strategies than did European American mothers. Whereas supportive maternal reactions were associated with better child outcomes in both cultures, maternal non-supportive reactions were negatively associated with children's functioning for European American children but not for Chinese immigrant children. The findings shed critical light on the functional meaning of parenting practices in specific cultural contexts in shaping developmental outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Parental incarceration (PI) is associated with adverse developmental outcomes for children affected. However, research in this area often reports conflicting results with few studies following children across time in non‐U.S. populations. Additionally, more research is called for using multi‐informant perspectives rather than relying on adult reports of child outcomes alone. Methods: This study used data from the first two waves of a nationally representative cohort study of 8,568 children aged 9 years and followed up at age 13 living in the Republic of Ireland (2007–2012). Propensity score matching was used to match children who had experienced PI by the age of nine to children who had not experienced PI by sociodemographics and experience of other stressful events. Mental health, as measured by self‐concept (Piers‐Harris II) and externalizing and internalizing difficulties (strength and difficulties questionnaire), was compared across both groups. Results: Fifty of the 8,568 children (weighted percentage 0.9%) reported experiencing PI by the age of nine. These children came from more socially disadvantaged homes and were more likely to have experienced other potentially stressful life events. In comparison to a matched sample of children not affected by PI, children affected by PI reported higher levels of anxiety at age nine. Longitudinal analysis indicated these children affected by PI also reported lower levels of happiness at age 13 with higher levels of emotional difficulties reported by their primary caregiver. Conclusions: Children of incarcerated parents face a greater array of life challenges. PI had an association with child‐reported levels of anxiety at age nine. PI also had a medium‐term association on caregiver assessments of emotional difficulties of children affected as well child‐reported levels of happiness over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Maternal and paternal depressive symptoms are related to children's emotional problems, but their combined effect remains unclear. Here, we constructed four parental longitudinal depressive symptom trajectory groups and studied their associations with children's emotional problems at the age of 2 and 5 years. Methods: We did an assessment of maternal and paternal depressive symptoms (gestational week 32, as well as 3, 8 and 24 months postnatally) and children's emotional problems at ages two (N = 939) and five (N = 700) in the CHILD‐SLEEP cohort. Three separate maternal and paternal depressive symptom trajectories based on latent profile analysis were combined to form four parental depressive symptom trajectory groups. We compared groups with a general linear model, with children's emotional (total, internalizing and externalizing) – problem scores serving as the dependent variables. Results: At both ages, combined parental depressive symptom trajectories were associated with children's emotional problems: effect sizes were medium for total and small for other domains. According to post hoc comparisons, children whose mothers or both parents had persistent depressive symptoms had significantly more total, externalizing and internalizing problems than did children who had neither parent nor only the father showing depressive symptoms. A higher (and persistent) level of maternal depressive symptoms was related to a higher level of these children's emotional problems, a pattern not evident with paternal depressive symptoms. In all analyses, the interaction effect was nonsignificant between parental trajectories and child gender. Conclusions: Findings suggest that an absence of depressive symptoms in their fathers cannot compensate for the adverse effects of maternal depressive symptoms upon their children. Moreover, paternal depressive symptoms alone do not lead to increased risk for emotional problems in these 2‐ and 5‐year‐old children. In contrast, even subclinical levels of maternal depressive symptoms in late pregnancy are associated with increased risk for their children's experiencing internalizing and externalizing emotional problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, preschooler's self-regulation has been extensively researched. This systematic review deals with the overlaps and differences among the many different terminologies and definitions of self-regulation in childhood and the association with preschooler's social-emotional and behavioural development. A systematic literature search in bibliographic databases identified 22 studies, published between 2011 and 2017, which met further inclusion criteria. Our review revealed considerable similarities and differences regarding definitions, core components, and measurements of self-regulation. Results regarding preschooler's social-emotional and behavioural outcomes were heterogeneous, but overall the significance of children's level of self-regulation was emphasized. In order to make clear statements about the impact on children's development, self-regulation must be defined uniformly. This study indicates the need for an integrative model for self-regulation in childhood, considering dimensionality, individual components, and its organization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Compared to children cared for by informal/exclusive parental care, children in school-based care had higher approach to learning skills and focused attention skills Head Start children had lower externalizing problem behavior scores. • Children who frequently read books showed higher approach to learning, self-control, focused attention, and inhibitory control scores and lower externalizing problem behavior scores. • Maternal education and poverty were associated with Asian-American children's social-emotional development. • Asian American parents should be informed of their eligibility for and the availability of formal center-based care, and the importance of parenting practices to promote their children's positive social-emotional skills. This study examined the associations between types of preschool child care and parenting practices and social-emotional outcomes among Asian American kindergarten-age children. Based on the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-K: 2011 (n = 1530), types of care (Head Start, school-based child care, private center-based, and informal/exclusive parental care) and parenting practices (parental expectation, parental investment, and parenting teaching behaviors) were examined for their associations with children's social-emotional skills (approach to learning, social skills, child-teacher relationship scores, and children's behavior questions). Compared to children cared for by informal/exclusive parental care, children who attended school-based care had higher approach to learning skills and focused attention skills, and those who enrolled Head Start had lower externalizing problem behavior scores. Children who frequently read books showed positive social-emotional development (higher approach to learning, self-control, focused attention, and inhibitory control scores and lower externalizing problem behavior scores). Although enrolling in formal center-based care at preschool age had positive associations with Asian American children's social-emotional skills, Asian American children were less likely to enroll in formal center-based care, including Head Start. Asian American parents should be informed of their eligibility for and the availability of formal center-based care, as well as the importance of parental-child interaction to promote their children's positive social-emotional skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Across industrialized nations, children and teens are a highly prized target for the advertising industry because young people have a tremendous influence on family purchases; however, media scholars have long suggested that young people are a fundamentally vulnerable audience because they lack the necessary developmental competencies to adequately process and protect themselves from advertising communications. Yet, the precise developmental mechanisms have not been clearly articulated nor is there a clear understanding of how these competencies extend across childhood contexts (e.g., developmental phase, cultures). The current study seeks to lend clarity to this matter by looking at the potential influence that children's executive function and emotion regulation have on the relationship between television exposure (as a proxy of exposure to advertising messages and other consumption-oriented media content) and consumer behavior across a broad range of ages from two wealthy industrialized countries. Mothers of young elementary school children (5–8 years) and early adolescents (9–12 years) in the Netherlands (N = 333, 51.7% female child) and the United States of America (N = 810, 49.6% female child) took part in an online survey to report on their child's cognitive/affective development, media use, and consumer behavior (i.e., purchase requests, purchase related conflict). The results showed that across ages, executive function via attentional shifting moderated the link between purchase requests and purchase conflict, whereas positively valenced emotion regulation moderated the same relationship but only for older children. Lastly, the findings revealed that while there are differences in reported behavior among children in these two countries, the developmental processes tend to work in the same manner. The discussion focuses on what these findings mean for children's consumer development as they approach adolescence and how researchers and child advocates should take these developmental factors into account when considering children's potential vulnerability as consumers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]