The role of ethnicity and socioeconomic status in Southeast Asian mothers’ parenting sensitivity

Social-Emotional Development of Children in Asia: A Systematic Review

There has been growing interest in the social-emotional development of children. However, the social-emotional development of children in Asia remains a knowledge gap. This systematic review identifies and summarizes existing studies on children's social-emotional development in Asia. We conducted a systematic review using the Guidelines for Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA). We reviewed 45 studies that met the inclusion criteria, and they were from 12 Asian countries, primarily the East Asia region (China and Hong Kong). Most of the studies were cross-sectional in design (n = 28, 62.2%). Six themes emerged, including (a) social-emotional development (overall) (n = 24, 53.3%); (b) social competence (n = 7, 15.6%); (c) emotional development (n = 5, 11.1%); (d) social-emotional learning (n = 3, 6.7%); (e) problem behavior (n = 3, 6.7%); (f) self-regulation (n = 2, 4.4%); and (g) both social-emotional learning and problem behavior (n = 1, 2.2%). The findings highlighted the paucity of studies, the need for examining more diverse variables in a similar population, and the low quality of intervention studies in social-emotional research in Asia. Research gaps indicate the need for more social-emotional and ethnocultural studies in other Asian regions. Parent and teacher knowledge of children's social-emotional functioning should be examined more closely in future research.

Socioeconomic Status and Childhood Executive Function: Differing Conceptualizations, Diverse Assessments, and Decontextualized Investigations

Developing the ability to regulate actions, thoughts, and emotions is necessary for successfully engaging in goal-directed activities, which form the essence of success in many life situations. In this regard, executive function (EF), as an aspect of these top-down control processes, has been the subject of inquiry in many developmental studies aiming to identify its link with various other aspects of a child's life, including family socioeconomic status (SES). This article presents a critical look at the association between family SES and childhood EF by reviewing studies that provide contrasting perspectives compared to the generally reported positive correlation between these two constructs. We first address the various aspects of assessing SES and childhood EF, emphasizing their multifaceted nature. Next, we discuss the interplays between different components of these two constructs, especially as it unfolds in various cultural contexts. Finally, we conclude by discussing mainly neglected lines of research that could further improve our understanding of the extent of socioeconomic impacts on child development, specifically regarding executive function. Considering these lines of research is a necessary step to a more accurate analysis of the link between socioeconomic factors and childhood executive function.

The contributions of maternal oxytocin and maternal sensitivity to infant attachment security

This study investigated links between maternal postnatal oxytocin, maternal sensitivity, and infant attachment security. At 3-months postpartum, participants (n=88) took part in a structured parent-infant interaction. Maternal oxytocin levels were assessed via blood, before and after the interaction. At 12-months postpartum, mother-child dyads completed the Strange Situation Procedure. Neither baseline oxytocin, oxytocin response, or maternal sensitivity were identified as significant independent predictors of infant attachment security or organisation. However, an interaction effect was identified, with higher maternal sensitivity being associated with secure infant attachment for mothers who showed an increase in oxytocin during parent-child interaction. Results indicate that maternal sensitivity, when accompanied by an increase in maternal oxytocin during parent-child interaction, is associated with the establishment of a positive early parent-child attachment relationship. This adds to the growing body of evidence highlighting maternal oxytocin response as a key adaptive process in the postpartum period.

Social inequality in parent-infant relations: Epidemiological study of community nurse records

Background: Some studies suggest that favourable socioeconomic circumstances are associated with better parent-child relations but the documentation of such an association is limited and inconsistent. Few studies focused on infancy, few studies relied on objective measurement of parent-infant relations, and few studies included more than one measurement of parent-infant relations in the first year of life. Aims: To report the prevalence of objectively measured problems in parent-infant relations during the first year of life and to examine the association between socioeconomic circumstances and parent-infant relations in an unselected community sample of infants. Methods: Cross-sectional study of a community sample of children from birth to 10 months in 15 municipalities in Denmark, n = 11,765. The exposure variables were population register data about socioeconomic circumstances: (a) parents' education, (b) family composition, (c) parents' origin, and (d) parents' occupational status. The outcome variable was the health visitor's concerns about the parent-infant relation assessed at four home visits from birth to 10 months after delivery. Results: The proportion of children with concerns about the parent-infant relation was 10.5%, 7.8% at one home visit and 2.8% at two or more home visits. Logistic regression analyses showed that all four indicators of socioeconomic circumstances were associated with concerns about the parent-infant relation in the first year of life. Conclusions: The risk of problematic parent-infant relations were significantly elevated among, children of immigrant parents, and children of parents with shorter education and not in education or work.

Caregiving adversity during infancy and preschool cognitive function: adaptations to context?

From a conditional adaptation vantage point, early life caregiving adversity likely enhances aspects of cognition needed to manage interpersonal threats. Yet, research examining early life care and offspring cognition predominantly relies upon experiments including affectively neutral stimuli, with findings generally interpreted as "early-life caregiving adversity is, de facto, 'bad' for cognitive performance." Here, in a Southeast Asian sample, we examined observed maternal sensitivity in infancy and cognitive performance 3 years later as preschoolers took part in three tasks, each involving both a socioemotional (SE) and non-socioemotional (NSE) version: relational memory (n = 236), cognitive flexibility (n = 203), and inhibitory control (n = 255). Results indicate the relation between early life caregiving adversity and memory performance significantly differs (Wald test = 7.67, (1), P = 0.006) depending on the SE versus NSE context, with maternal sensitivity in infancy highly predictive of worse memory for SE stimuli, and amongst girls, also predictive of better memory when NSE stimuli are used. Results concerning inhibitory control, as well as cognitive flexibility in girls, also tentatively suggest the importance of considering the SE nature of stimuli when assessing relations between the caregiving environment and cognitive performance. As not all approaches to missing data yielded similar results, implications for statistical approaches are elaborated. We conclude by considering how an adaptation-to-context framework approach may aid in designing pedagogical strategies and well-being interventions that harness pre-existing cognitive strengths.

Video observations of sensitive caregiving "off the beaten track": introduction to the special issue

This introduction to the special issue on video observations of sensitive caregiving in different cultural communities provides a general theoretical and methodological framework for the seven empirical studies that are at the heart of this special issue. It highlights the cross-cultural potential of the sensitivity construct, the importance of research on sensitivity "off the beaten track," the advantages and potential challenges of the use of video in diverse cultural contexts, and the benefits of forming research teams that include local scholars. The paper concludes with an overview of the seven empirical studies of sensitivity in this special issue with video observations from Brazil, Indonesia, Iran, Kenya, Peru, South Africa, and Yemen.

Environmental epigenetics of sex differences in the brain

Experiences throughout the life course lead to unique phenotypes even among those with the same genotype. Genotype sets the substrate on which physiologic processes, which communicate with the brain, mediate the effects of life experiences via epigenetics. Epigenetics modify the expression of genes in the brain and body in response to circulating hormones and other mediators, which are activated to facilitate survival responses through a process called allostasis. Epigenetic signatures can even be inherited, resulting in transgenerational effects. This chapter addresses epigenetics in the context of sex differences, discussing the intersection between genetics and gonadal hormones and their effect in the brain at discrete developmental periods.

Maternal sensitivity during infancy and the regulation of startle in preschoolers

Caregiving insensitivity and fear dysregulation predict anxiety symptoms in children. It is unclear, however, whether sensitive parental care during infancy predicts fear regulation later in childhood. To address this question, we asked whether observed maternal sensitivity, measured at 6 months, predicts 42-month-old children's laboratory-induced fear responses (n=213) during a fear-eliciting episode. We predicted that higher levels of maternal sensitivity would be associated with greater fear regulation. We operationalized fear regulation as decreases in fear over repeated trials of a novel, potentially frightening, stimulus. Two aspects of fear responses were considered: expressed fear and startle. Expressed fear scores did not decrease over time but children exhibited less startle behavior in the second half of the task. Maternal sensitivity predicted this startle attenuation across trials. These findings highlight the contribution of maternal sensitivity during infancy to the development of fear regulation in early childhood, further suggesting its influence on offspring anxiety problems.