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Although numerous individual studies have attempted to link child-parent attachment and prosociality, a systematic picture of that relationship requires a meta-analytic approach that considers different dimensions of prosociality and potential moderators. The current meta-analysis examined 41 studies drawn primarily from North America and Europe and published between 1978 to 2020. Child age ranged from 12 to 53 months at the assessment of child-parent attachment and 12 to 108 months at the assessment of prosociality. Across 35 studies (100 effect sizes, N = 4,611), child-mother attachment security and child prosociality were significantly associated (r = 0.19, 95% CI [0.14, 0.23]). No moderators were identified. Exploratory estimates were also derived for subtypes of child-mother attachment insecurity. Across six studies (eight effect sizes, N = 402), child-father attachment security was significantly associated with prosociality (r = 0.11, 95% CI [0.02, 0.23]). The magnitude of effect sizes did not differ based on parent gender. The discussion considers areas of growth for attachment and prosociality research.

Observational studies have shown that caregiver sensitivity predicts child language skills. These studies, however, have entirely relied on between-family designs (single parent-child dyad per family), which cannot rule out the contribution of shared family confounds (e.g., genetics, books in home). The current study investigates whether observed caregiver sensitivity predicts changes in child receptive language using a sibling comparison design. Participants were 890 Canadian children (51.7% male; 52.4% White) nested within 447 families from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds with children between the ages of 2 and 3.5 years (Wave 1) and 3.5 and 5 years (Wave 2). Independent observers provided ratings of maternal sensitivity with each sibling using several coding protocols (i.e., Coding of Attachment-Related Parenting and the Parent-Child Interaction System). Child receptive language was assessed using the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test. Maternal sensitivity predicted within-person change in receptive language. That is, the sibling that receives comparatively more sensitivity from the caregiver showed more development in language over time when compared to their sibling. The obverse association, child language to later maternal sensitivity, was not observed, pointing to a unidirectional association of maternal sensitivity on child receptive language. Our sibling comparison design rules out the role of shared family confounders, which provides a strong test of causal processes within an observational design.

Background: Although 24-hour movement behaviors are known to be interconnected, limited knowledge exists about whether change in one behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic (eg, increased screen time) was associated with change in another (eg, reduced physical activity or sleep). This review estimates mediational associations between changes in children's physical activity, screen time, and sleep during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: We included studies published between January 1, 2020 and June 27, 2022, in the PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, SPORTDiscus, and Web of Science databases. Summary data were extracted from included studies and analyzed with random-effects meta-regression. Results: This review included 26 studies representing 18,959 children across 18 mid-high-income countries (53% male; mean age, 11.5 [2.9] y). There was very good evidence of decreased total daily physical activity (factor change, 0.62; 90% CI, 0.47–0.81) and strong evidence of increased screen time (1.56; 90% CI, 1.38–1.77). There was very good evidence of decreased moderate to vigorous physical activity (0.75; 90% CI, 0.62–0.90) and weak evidence of increased sleep (1.02; 90% CI, 1.00–1.04). Mediational analysis revealed strong evidence that most of the reduction in total daily physical activity from before, to during, the pandemic was associated with increased screen time (0.53; 90% CI, 0.42–0.67). We observed no further mediational associations. Conclusion: Increased reliance on and use of screen-based devices during the COVID-19 pandemic can be linked with reduced child and adolescent physical activity. This finding links COVID-related restrictions to potential displacement effects within child and adolescent 24-hour movement behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This meta-analytic study examined the associations between child-father attachment in early childhood and children's externalizing and internalizing behavior problems. Based on 15 samples (N = 1,304 dyads), the association between child-father attachment insecurity and externalizing behaviors was significant and moderate in magnitude (r = 0.18, 95% CI: 0.10, 0.27 or d = 0.37, 95% CI: 0.20, 0.55). No moderators of this association were identified. Based on 12 samples (N = 1,073), the association between child-father attachment insecurity and internalizing behaviors was also significant, albeit smaller in magnitude (r = 0.09, 95% CI: 0.02, 0.15; or d = 0.17, 95% CI: 0.03, 0.31). Between-study heterogeneity was insufficient to consider moderators. When compared to the effect sizes of prior meta-analyses on child-mother attachment and behavior problems, the quality of the attachment relationship with fathers yields a similar magnitude of associations to children's externalizing and internalizing behaviors. Results support the need to consider the role of the attachment network, which notably includes attachment relationships to both fathers and mothers, to understand how attachment relationships contribute to child development.

An unsettled question in attachment theory and research is the extent to which children's attachment patterns with mothers and fathers "jointly" predict developmental outcomes. In this study, we used individual participant data (IPD) meta-analysis to assess whether early attachment networks with mothers and fathers are associated with children's internalizing and externalizing behavioral problems. Following a pre-registered protocol, data from 9 studies and 1,097 children (mean age: 28.67 months) with attachment classifications to both mothers and fathers were included in analyses. We used a linear mixed effects analysis to assess differences in children's internalizing and externalizing behavioral problems as assessed via the average of both maternal and paternal reports based on whether children had two, one, or no insecure (or disorganized) attachments. Results indicated that children with an insecure attachment relationship with one or both parents were at higher risk for elevated internalizing behavioral problems compared with children who were securely attached to both parents. Children whose attachment relationships with both parents were classified as disorganized had more externalizing behavioral problems compared to children with either one or no disorganized attachment relationship with their parents. Across attachment classification networks and behavioral problems, findings suggest (a) an increased vulnerability to behavioral problems when children have insecure or disorganized attachment to both parents, and (b) that mother-child and father-child attachment relationships may not differ in the roles they play in children's development of internalizing and externalizing behavioral problems. [This article was co-authored by the Collaboration on Attachment to Multiple Parents and Outcomes Synthesis.]

The current study examined the interaction between maternal depressive symptoms and child temperament in predicting subsequent child language skills. Participants were 252 mother-child dyads recruited from the All Our Families longitudinal cohort, a primarily middle-class sample (62.9% completed postsecondary education) from Alberta, Canada (90.5% White, 6% Asian, 3.5% other). Maternal depressive symptoms at age 3, controlling for prenatal depressive symptoms, did not evidence a direct effect on child language skills at age 5 (49.6% males; mean [M] = 5.12 years old, standard deviation [SD] = 0.11). However, both child surgency and effortful control interacted with maternal depression at age 3 to predict later language skills. Low effortful control was a risk factor for poorer language abilities in contexts of high maternal depressive symptoms. High child surgency emerged as a differential susceptibility marker, predicting poorer language skills in contexts of high maternal depressive symptoms but better language skills in contexts of low depressive symptoms. Negative affect did not interact with maternal depressive symptoms in predicting language skills. These findings highlight the complex interaction between maternal and child characteristics in predicting language development during a developmental period in which language skills are a prime indicator of school readiness and a predictor of future academic achievement and socioemotional adjustment.

Objectives Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are associated with poor physical and mental health outcomes in pregnancy, prompting many care agencies to ask about ACEs as part of routine care. However, limited research has been conducted in the clinical setting to demonstrate associations between ACEs and maternal health (i.e., pregnancy complications and birth outcomes) and mental health in pregnancy (i.e., depression, anxiety, and substance use). The aims of the current study were to: (1) examine the prevalence of ACEs reported by patients attending a maternity clinic for medically low-risk patients, and (2) evaluate whether these reports were associated with prenatal health and mental health. Methods Participants included pregnant women (n = 338) receiving prenatal care at a low-risk outpatient medical clinical from June 2017 to December 2018. Total ACE scores, pregnancy complications (e.g., gestational hypertension, preeclampsia), birth outcomes (e.g., Apgar scores, preterm birth), and mental health outcomes (i.e., anxiety, depression, and substance use) were extracted from electronic medical records. Results The majority of women (67.8%) reported experiencing no ACEs, 16.0% reported one ACE, 10.1% reported two ACEs, and 6.2% reported three or more ACEs. ACEs were associated with increased odds of prenatal depression, anxiety, and substance use in a dose-response fashion, but not pregnancy health or birth outcomes. Conclusions for Practice Prevalence rates of maternal ACEs obtained in the prenatal care setting were low compared to the general population. While ACEs were positively associated with maternal mental health and substance use in pregnancy, they were not associated with pregnancy complications., Author(s): Nicole Racine [sup.1] [sup.2] , Hannah Byles [sup.4] , Teresa Killam [sup.3] [sup.4] , Whitney Ereyi-Osas [sup.4] , Sheri Madigan [sup.1] [sup.2] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.22072.35, 0000 0004 1936 [...]

This meta-analysis examined associations between the quantity and quality of parental linguistic input and children's language. Pooled effect size for quality (i.e., vocabulary diversity and syntactic complexity; k = 35; N = 1,958; r = .33) was more robust than for quantity (i.e., number of words/tokens/utterances; k = 33; N = 1,411; r = .20) of linguistic input. For quality and quantity of parental linguistic input, effect sizes were stronger when input was observed in naturalistic contexts compared to free play tasks. For quality of parental linguistic input, effect sizes also increased as child age and observation length increased. Effect sizes were not moderated by socioeconomic status or child gender. Findings highlight parental linguistic input as a key environmental factor in children's language skills.

This meta-analysis tested maternal responsivity as a mediator of the association between socioeconomic risk and children's preschool language abilities. The search included studies up to 2017 and meta-analytic structural equation modeling, allowed us to examine the magnitude of the indirect effect across 17 studies (k = 19). The meta-analysis included 6433 predominantly White, English speaking children (M[subscript age] = 36 months; 50% female) from Western, industrialized countries. All paths in the model were statistically significant, notably, the indirect effect was significant (b = -0.052), showing that maternal responsivity may be a proximal intervening variable between socioeconomic risk and children's language development. Moderator analyses found that the indirect effect was stronger for sensitive parenting than warmth and when parenting was assessed in the family home.

This study conducted two meta-analyses to synthesize the association between children's language skills and two broad-band dimensions of psychopathology: internalizing and externalizing. Pooled estimates across 139 samples (externalizing k = 105; internalizing k = 90) and 147,305 participants (age range: 2-17 years old; mean % males: 53.75; mean % White participants: 55.59; mean % minority participants: 43.12) indicated small but significant associations between child language skills and externalizing problems (Hedges' g = 0.22) and between language skills and internalizing problems (Hedges' g = 0.23). The association between language difficulties and externalizing problems was stronger amongst males and in children with low versus high sociodemographic risk. Implications of the results for theory and practice are discussed.

In a series of meta-analyses, paternal sensitivity was associated with children's (age range: 7 months-9 years) overall cognitive functioning (N = 3,193; k = 23; r = 0.19), including language skills (k = 9; r = 0.21), cognitive ability (k = 9; r = 0.18), and executive function (k = 8; r = 0.19). Paternal sensitivity was not associated with children's overall socioemotional functioning (N = 2,924; k = 24; r = -0.03) or internalizing problems, but it was associated with children's emotion regulation (k = 7; r = 0.22) and externalizing problems (k = 19; r = -0.08). In the broad cognitive functioning, executive function, broad socioemotional functioning, and externalizing problems meta-analyses, child age was a significant moderator.

Sensitive caregiving behavior, which involves the ability to notice, interpret, and quickly respond to a child's signals of need and/or interest, is a central determinant of secure child–caregiver attachment. Yet, significant heterogeneity in effect sizes exists across the literature, and sources of heterogeneity have yet to be explained. For all child–caregiver dyads, there was a significant and positive pooled association between caregiver sensitivity and parent–child attachment (r =.25, 95% CI [.22,.28], k = 174, 230 effect sizes, N = 22,914). We also found a positive association between maternal sensitivity and child attachment security (r =.26, 95% CI [.22,.29], k = 159, 202 effect sizes, N = 21,483), which was equivalent in magnitude to paternal sensitivity and child attachment security (r =.21, 95% CI [.14, 27], k = 22, 23 effect sizes, N = 1,626). Maternal sensitivity was also negatively associated with all three classifications of insecure attachment (avoidant: k = 43, r = −.24 [−.34, −.13]; resistant: k = 43, r = −.12 [−.19, −.06]; disorganized: k = 24, r = −.19 [−.27, −.11]). For maternal sensitivity, associations were larger in studies that used the Attachment Q-Sort (vs. the Strange Situation), used the Maternal Behavior Q-Sort (vs. Ainsworth or Emotional Availability Scales), had strong (vs. poor) interrater measurement reliability, had a longer observation of sensitivity, and had less time elapse between assessments. For paternal sensitivity, associations were larger in older (vs. younger) fathers and children. These findings confirm the importance of both maternal and paternal sensitivity for the development of child attachment security and add understanding of the methodological and substantive factors that allow this effect to be observed. Public Significance Statement: The quality of care children receive from caregivers can shape the foundations of a thriving society. Sensitive caregiver behavior involves the ability to notice, interpret, and quickly respond to a child's signals of need and/or interest. Findings from our research suggests that caregivers' sensitive behavior toward their child plays a pivotal role in fostering children's secure attachment. We found that associations were similar for both mothers and fathers. These findings stress the urgency of allocating resources and supports to enhance sensitive caregiver behavior, to in turn promote healthier child–parent relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research has documented various family and individual risk factors associated with severe conduct problems, but little is known about the developmental origins of children who engage in both aggressive and prosocial interactions with others. The present study utilized growth-mixture modeling to identify distinct trajectories of physical aggression and prosocial behavior across the preschool years in a large (n = 424), diverse (42% immigrant) Canadian sample. Parent ratings of aggression and prosocial behavior were assessed at ages 3, 4.5, and 6 years. Observed mother-child interactions and mother-reported child exposure to interparental conflict were measured at 1.5 and 3 years. Children's psychological functioning (language ability, academic achievement, theory of mind understanding) was assessed at ages 3 and 4.5. Four trajectory classes emerged. Most children (74%) showed low/moderate-declining aggression and high/moderate-increasing prosocial behavior ("prosocial" and "desisting" classes), whereas a minority (7%) were highly aggressive and relatively low in prosocial behavior ("chronic aggressive" class). The remaining 19% of children exhibited low-increasing aggression and moderate-stable prosocial behavior ("escalating" class). Increased exposure to interparental conflict between 1.5 and 3 years uniquely predicted membership in the escalating compared with the prosocial group, whereas prosocial and escalating children did not differ in positive parent-child interactions in toddlerhood. Children in the escalating class demonstrated typical psychological functioning relative to prosocial children, and both outperformed chronically aggressive youth. These findings highlight the need to move beyond a singular deficit-model to consider alternative pathways by which socially skilled children may develop aggressive tendencies.