Mother-child mutually responsive orientation and real-time physiological coordination

Maternal perceived safety and parenting practices with young children: a cross-sectional analysis from 15 low-income and middle-income countries

Introduction

Social environments can influence parents' caregiving capacities and the quality of nurturing care provided to children. These links, in turn, can shape children's developmental outcomes over the life course. We aimed to examine the relationship between maternal perceived safety at home and in the neighbourhood and maternal parenting practices in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs).

Method

We combined cross-sectional data from the Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys in 15 LMICs (2018-2019). Mothers of children aged 36-59 months were included in the sample. We assessed maternal perceived safety at home and in the neighbourhood and two parenting outcomes of maternal stimulation and discipline. We used multiple logistic regression models to estimate the associations while adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics and maternal well-being in the pooled sample. Also, analyses were performed for each country separately.

Results

After adjusting for covariates, maternal perceived safety at home was associated with increased odds of high maternal stimulation (OR: 1.15, 95% CI: 1.01; 1.32) and lower odds of aggressive psychological discipline (OR: 0.87, 95% CI: 0.77; 0.98). Maternal perception of safety in the neighbourhood was associated with lower odds of aggressive psychological discipline (OR: 0.79, 95% CI: 0.71; 0.88), aggressive physical discipline (OR: 0.87, 95% CI: 0.77; 0.98) and non-violent discipline (OR: 0.78, 95% CI: 0.63; 0.95).

Conclusion

Maternal perceived safety at home and in the neighbourhood was positively associated with improved parenting behaviours with young children in LMICs. Interventions that address safety and security at home and across communities may have the potential to enhance maternal well-being and parenting practices to promote integral child development.

A context-dependent perspective to understand the relation between parent-child physiological synchrony and child socioemotional adjustment

Physiological synchrony is an important biological process during which parent-child interaction plays a significant role in shaping child socioemotional adjustment. The present study held a context-dependent perspective to examine the conditional association between parent-child physiological synchrony and child socioemotional adjustment (i.e., relationship quality with parents and child emotion regulation) under different (i.e., from highly unsupportive to highly supportive) emotional contexts. One hundred and fifty school-age Chinese children (Mage = 8.64 years, 63 girls) and their primary caregivers participated in this study. After attaching electrocardiogram (ECG) electrodes, parent-child dyads were instructed to complete a 4-minute conflict discussion task. Parent-child physiological synchrony was calculated based on the within-dyad association between parents' and children's respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) levels across eight 30-second epochs. Parental emotional support, child relationship quality with parents, and child emotion regulation during the discussion task were coded by trained research assistants. Supporting our hypotheses, parental emotional support moderated the relations of parent-child RSA synchrony with both child relationship quality with parents and child emotion regulation. Furthermore, the Johnson-Neyman technique of moderation indicated that the associations between parent and child RSA synchrony and child socioemotional adjustment indicators shifted from negative to positive as the parental emotional support became increasingly high. Our findings suggest that parent-child physiological synchrony may not be inherently adaptive or maladaptive, highlighting the importance of understanding the function of parent-child physiological synchrony under specific contexts. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS: Physiological synchrony may not be inherently adaptive or maladaptive, and the meanings of parent-child physiological synchrony might be contingent on contextual factors. Parental emotional support moderated the relations between parent-child respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) synchrony and child socioemotional adjustment indicators (i.e., child relationship quality with parents and child emotion regulation). More positive/less negative parent-child RSA synchrony was associated with better child socioemotional adjustment under a supportive emotional context, whereas with poorer child socioemotional adjustment under an unsupportive emotional context. These findings highlight the significance of considering the emotional context in physiological synchrony studies.

A meta-analysis of mother-child synchrony in respiratory sinus arrhythmia and contextual risk

Biobehavioral frameworks of attachment posit that mother-child dyads engage in physiological synchrony that is uniquely formative for children's neurobiological, social, and emotional development. Much of the work on mother-child physiological synchrony has focused on respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA). However, the strength of the existing evidence for mother-child RSA synchrony during interaction is unclear. Using meta-analysis, we summarized results from 12 eligible studies comprising 14 samples and 1201 children ranging from infancy to adolescence (M_age  = 5.68 years, SD = 4.13, range = 0.4-17 years) and their mothers. We found that there was a statistically significant, albeit modest, positive within-dyad association between mother and child fluctuations in RSA. There also was evidence for significant heterogeneity across studies. Less mother-child RSA synchrony was observed in high-risk samples characterized by clinical difficulties, history of maltreatment, or socioeconomic disadvantage. We did not find that mother-child RSA synchrony significantly differed by task context, mean child age, or by epoch length for computing RSA. Collectively, these findings suggest that mother-child dyads show correspondence in their fluctuations in RSA, and that RSA synchrony is disrupted in high-risk contexts. Future directions and implications for the study of parent-child physiological synchrony are discussed.

Maternal Emotional Intelligence and the Provision of Child Motor Affordances

Background: Mothers are not only the axis of an ecological subsystem for their children but are also capable of creating a significant emotional and psychological environment through constant and direct interaction. This leads to interactions and emotional connections with the children, supportive behaviors, and a long-term commitment to their upbringing and development. Aims: This study examined the relationship between maternal emotional intelligence (EI) and demographics on the availability of motor affordances in the home environment that are conducive to their child’s motor development. Methods: Mothers (N = 451) and homes of children aged 18–42 months were assessed using the Persian version of Affordances in the Home Environment for Motor Development-Self-Report (AHEMD-SR) and the Bar-On Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire. In addition, mothers’ physical activity (PA) experience and demographic data were collected. Results: Analyses indicated significant correlations between mothers’ education, level of PA, and income with EI and motor affordances. Conclusions: EI, PA experience, and select mother demographics were important to the availability of motor affordances in the home. One could also speculate, based on previous research, that such provision may affect the future motor development of the child. Future research should include a younger and more diverse population.