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Nix RL, Gill S, Hostetler ML, Feinberg ME, Francis LA, Stifter CA, McNeil CB, Kidder SM, Jones DE, Park YR, Kim CN, Engbretson AG, Braaten SM, Tamkin VL. Promoting toddlers' self-regulation and healthy eating habits among families living in poverty: A randomized controlled trial of Recipe 4 Success. Child Dev 2024; 95:354-367. [PMID: 37767600 PMCID: PMC10942656 DOI: 10.1111/cdev.14006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2022] [Revised: 06/27/2023] [Accepted: 07/12/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023]
Abstract
The Recipe 4 Success preventive intervention targeted multiple factors critical to the health and well-being of toddlers living in poverty. This randomized controlled trial, which was embedded within Early Head Start home visits for 12 weeks, included 242 racially and ethnically diverse families (51% girls; toddler mean age = 2.58 years; data collected 2016-2019). Compared to parents in usual practice home visits, parents in Recipe 4 Success displayed greater sensitive scaffolding of toddlers' learning and more responsive food parenting practices (Cohen's d = .21-.30). Toddlers in Recipe 4 Success exhibited greater self-regulation and had healthier eating habits (Cohen's d = |.16-.35|). Results highlight the value of Recipe 4 Success in promoting parent and toddler behavior change that could have life-long benefits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert L. Nix
- University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Sukhdeep Gill
- Pennsylvania State University-York, York, Pennsylvania, USA
| | | | | | - Lori A. Francis
- Pennsylvania State University, State College, Pennsylvania, USA
| | | | | | - Sarah M. Kidder
- Pennsylvania State University, State College, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Damon E. Jones
- Pennsylvania State University, State College, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Ye Rang Park
- University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
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Ou L, Hunter MD, Lu Z, Stifter CA, Chow SM. Estimation of nonlinear mixed-effects continuous-time models using the continuous-discrete extended Kalman filter. Br J Math Stat Psychol 2023; 76:462-490. [PMID: 37674379 PMCID: PMC10727191 DOI: 10.1111/bmsp.12318] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/08/2023]
Abstract
Many intensive longitudinal measurements are collected at irregularly spaced time intervals, and involve complex, possibly nonlinear and heterogeneous patterns of change. Effective modelling of such change processes requires continuous-time differential equation models that may be nonlinear and include mixed effects in the parameters. One approach of fitting such models is to define random effect variables as additional latent variables in a stochastic differential equation (SDE) model of choice, and use estimation algorithms designed for fitting SDE models, such as the continuous-discrete extended Kalman filter (CDEKF) approach implemented in the dynr R package, to estimate the random effect variables as latent variables. However, this approach's efficacy and identification constraints in handling mixed-effects SDE models have not been investigated. In the current study, we analytically inspect the identification constraints of using the CDEKF approach to fit nonlinear mixed-effects SDE models; extend a published model of emotions to a nonlinear mixed-effects SDE model as an example, and fit it to a set of irregularly spaced ecological momentary assessment data; and evaluate the feasibility of the proposed approach to fit the model through a Monte Carlo simulation study. Results show that the proposed approach produces reasonable parameter and standard error estimates when some identification constraint is met. We address the effects of sample size, process noise variance, and data spacing conditions on estimation results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lu Ou
- The Pennsylvania State University, State College, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Michael D Hunter
- The Pennsylvania State University, State College, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Zhaohua Lu
- The Pennsylvania State University, State College, Pennsylvania, USA
| | | | - Sy-Miin Chow
- The Pennsylvania State University, State College, Pennsylvania, USA
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Augustine ME, Moding KJ, Stifter CA. Person-centered profiles of child temperament: A comparison of coder, mother, and experimenter ratings. Infant Behav Dev 2022; 68:101725. [DOI: 10.1016/j.infbeh.2022.101725] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2021] [Revised: 05/12/2022] [Accepted: 05/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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Gartstein MA, Seamon DE, Mattera JA, Bosquet Enlow M, Wright RJ, Perez-Edgar K, Buss KA, LoBue V, Bell MA, Goodman SH, Spieker S, Bridgett DJ, Salisbury AL, Gunnar MR, Mliner SB, Muzik M, Stifter CA, Planalp EM, Mehr SA, Spelke ES, Lukowski AF, Groh AM, Lickenbrock DM, Santelli R, Du Rocher Schudlich T, Anzman-Frasca S, Thrasher C, Diaz A, Dayton C, Moding KJ, Jordan EM. Using machine learning to understand age and gender classification based on infant temperament. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0266026. [PMID: 35417495 PMCID: PMC9007342 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0266026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2021] [Accepted: 03/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Age and gender differences are prominent in the temperament literature, with the former particularly salient in infancy and the latter noted as early as the first year of life. This study represents a meta-analysis utilizing Infant Behavior Questionnaire-Revised (IBQ-R) data collected across multiple laboratories (N = 4438) to overcome limitations of smaller samples in elucidating links among temperament, age, and gender in early childhood. Algorithmic modeling techniques were leveraged to discern the extent to which the 14 IBQ-R subscale scores accurately classified participating children as boys (n = 2,298) and girls (n = 2,093), and into three age groups: youngest (< 24 weeks; n = 1,102), mid-range (24 to 48 weeks; n = 2,557), and oldest (> 48 weeks; n = 779). Additionally, simultaneous classification into age and gender categories was performed, providing an opportunity to consider the extent to which gender differences in temperament are informed by infant age. Results indicated that overall age group classification was more accurate than child gender models, suggesting that age-related changes are more salient than gender differences in early childhood with respect to temperament attributes. However, gender-based classification was superior in the oldest age group, suggesting temperament differences between boys and girls are accentuated with development. Fear emerged as the subscale contributing to accurate classifications most notably overall. This study leads infancy research and meta-analytic investigations more broadly in a new direction as a methodological demonstration, and also provides most optimal comparative data for the IBQ-R based on the largest and most representative dataset to date.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Michelle Bosquet Enlow
- Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States of America
| | - Rosalind J. Wright
- Department of Pediatrics, Kravis Children’s Hospital, New York, NY, United States of America
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States of America
| | - Koraly Perez-Edgar
- Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States of America
| | - Kristin A. Buss
- Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States of America
| | - Vanessa LoBue
- Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, United States of America
| | | | | | - Susan Spieker
- University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States of America
| | | | - Amy L. Salisbury
- Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United States of America
| | - Megan R. Gunnar
- University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States of America
| | - Shanna B. Mliner
- University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States of America
| | - Maria Muzik
- University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States of America
| | - Cynthia A. Stifter
- Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States of America
| | | | - Samuel A. Mehr
- Harvard University, Boston, MA, United States of America
| | | | | | - Ashley M. Groh
- University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, United States of America
| | | | - Rebecca Santelli
- University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, VA, United States of America
| | | | | | | | - Anjolii Diaz
- Ball State University, Muncie, IN, United States of America
| | - Carolyn Dayton
- Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, United States of America
| | | | - Evan M. Jordan
- Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, United States of America
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Nix RL, Francis LA, Feinberg ME, Gill S, Jones DE, Hostetler ML, Stifter CA. Improving Toddlers' Healthy Eating Habits and Self-regulation: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Pediatrics 2021; 147:peds.2019-3326. [PMID: 33372118 PMCID: PMC7780956 DOI: 10.1542/peds.2019-3326] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/21/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES In this study, we tested whether Recipe 4 Success, a preventive intervention featuring structured food preparation lessons, was successful in improving the following 4 protective factors related to overweight and obesity among families living in poverty: toddlers' healthy eating habits, toddlers' self-regulation, parents' responsive feeding practices, and parents' sensitive scaffolding. METHODS This randomized controlled trial was open to families enrolled in Early Head Start home visits and included 73 parents and their toddlers aged 18 to 36 months. Multimethod assessments were conducted at baseline and posttreatment. RESULTS Compared with toddlers in usual practice Early Head Start, toddlers in Recipe 4 Success consumed healthier meals and snacks (d = 0.57; P < .03; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.08-1.06) and displayed better self-regulation (d = 0.95; P < .001; 95% CI: 0.43-1.45). Compared with parents in usual practice Early Head Start, parents in Recipe 4 Success engaged in more responsive feeding practices (d = 0.87; P < .002; 95% CI: 0.34-1.40) and were better able to sensitively scaffold their toddlers' learning and development (d = 0.58; P < .04; 95% CI: 0.07-1.09). CONCLUSIONS This randomized controlled trial revealed medium to large intervention effects on 4 important protective factors that are related to overweight and obesity but are often compromised by living in poverty.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert L. Nix
- Department of Human Development and Family Studies, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, Wisconsin
| | - Lori A. Francis
- Departments of Biobehavioral Health, and,Human Development and Family Studies, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania; and
| | - Mark E. Feinberg
- Edna Bennett Pierce Prevention Research Center,,Human Development and Family Studies, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania; and
| | - Sukhdeep Gill
- Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Pennsylvania State University York, York, Pennsylvania
| | - Damon E. Jones
- Edna Bennett Pierce Prevention Research Center,,Human Development and Family Studies, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania; and
| | - Michelle L. Hostetler
- Edna Bennett Pierce Prevention Research Center,,Human Development and Family Studies, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania; and
| | - Cynthia A. Stifter
- Human Development and Family Studies, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania; and
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Hepworth AD, Moding KJ, Stifter CA. A laboratory-based assessment of mother-child snack food selections and child snack food consumption: Associations with observed and maternal self-report of child feeding practices. Food Qual Prefer 2020; 83. [PMID: 32483400 DOI: 10.1016/j.foodqual.2020.103898] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
This study explored how mothers' observed and self-reported child feeding practices (child control over food choices, encouragement of balance and variety, and teaching about nutrition) were associated with mother-child snack food selections and child snack food consumption in a laboratory setting. Mothers (N = 107) and their 4.5-year-old children (52% female) selected up to 5 snack foods (out of 9 snack foods: 6 higher-energy-density [ED] and 3 lower-ED) for optional child consumption throughout a one-hour laboratory visit. Mothers' in-the-moment child feeding practices during the snack food selection task were coded using observational coding schemes, and mothers' global child feeding practices (i.e., across meals and snacking occasions) were self-reported using the Comprehensive Feeding Practices Questionnaire (Musher-Eizenman & Holub, 2007). Results of multiple linear regression analyses with covariates showed that higher-ED snack food selections were positively associated with observed child control over food choices (B = 0.35, SE = 0.12, p = .006) and self-reported teaching about nutrition (B = 0.49, SE = 0.19, p = .010), and negatively associated with self-reported encouragement of balance and variety (B = -0.66, SE = 0.24, p = .007). Lower-ED snack food selections were positively associated with self-reported encouragement of balance and variety (B = 0.53, SE = 0.20, p = .008). Child consumption of higher-ED or lower-ED snack foods were not significantly associated with mothers' child feeding practices (observed or self-reported). We discuss the implications of these findings for future research on children's snack food selection and consumption.
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Affiliation(s)
- Allison D Hepworth
- University of Maryland School of Social Work, 525 West Redwood Street, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
| | - Kameron J Moding
- Purdue University, Fowler Memorial House, 1200 West State Street, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA
| | - Cynthia A Stifter
- Pennsylvania State University, 236 Health and Human Development Building, University Park, PA 16802, USA
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Geeraerts SB, Backer PM, Stifter CA. It takes two: Infants' moderate negative reactivity and maternal sensitivity predict self-regulation in the preschool years. Dev Psychol 2020; 56:869-879. [PMID: 32191053 DOI: 10.1037/dev0000921] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
The aim of this longitudinal study was to examine the association of infant fussing and crying with self-regulation in toddlerhood and the preschool years, as well as the moderating role of maternal sensitivity therein. When children (n = 149, 53.69% boys) were 6 months old, parents reported on their fussing and crying using a cry diary, and maternal sensitivity was coded during a novel toy procedure. Children participated in various tasks to assess self-regulation in toddlerhood (18 months) and the preschool years (4.5 years). Results indicated that the relation between infant fussing and preschool self-regulation took the shape of an inverted U, but only for children of highly sensitive mothers. For infants of less sensitive mothers, fussing was not related to later self-regulation. Crying was unrelated to preschool self-regulation. Neither fussing, crying, nor maternal sensitivity predicted self-regulation in toddlerhood. The findings support the optimal arousal theory, by demonstrating that for infants of highly sensitive mothers, moderate amounts of low intensity negative reactivity are associated with enhanced self-regulation in the preschool years. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).
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Stifter CA, Moding KJ. Temperament in obesity-related research: Concepts, challenges, and considerations for future research. Appetite 2019; 141:104308. [PMID: 31158396 DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2019.05.039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2018] [Revised: 03/29/2019] [Accepted: 05/30/2019] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Temperament, defined as individual differences in reactivity and regulation, has important implications for the development of childhood obesity. Indeed, numerous studies have demonstrated associations between temperament and children's eating behavior, parent feeding practices, and children's weight outcomes. Together, these findings have significantly improved our understanding of the developmental pathways to obesity-related outcomes. However, to better our understanding of the role of temperament in children's health, greater attention to how temperament is conceptualized and measured is needed. The purpose of this paper is to review the concept and principles of temperament, describe challenges in the measurement of temperament, and provide considerations for future research aimed at understanding the relationship between temperament, food intake, and childhood obesity. Moving forward, a fuller appreciation of the complexity of the temperament concept and thoughtful selection of temperament measures may help improve predictions and identify targets for interventions aimed at decreasing the risk for obesity in childhood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cynthia A Stifter
- The Pennsylvania State University, Department of Human Development and Family Studies, 119 Health and Human Development Building, University Park, PA, 16802, USA.
| | - Kameron J Moding
- University of Colorado Denver Anschutz Medical Campus, 12631 E. 17th Ave, Mail Stop F561, Room 2600, Aurora, CO, 80045, USA.
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Backer PM, Quigley KM, Stifter CA. Typologies of dyadic mother-infant emotion regulation following immunization. Infant Behav Dev 2018; 53:5-17. [PMID: 30347324 DOI: 10.1016/j.infbeh.2018.09.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2018] [Revised: 08/01/2018] [Accepted: 09/19/2018] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Mother-infant dyadic emotion regulation - the joint modulation of affective rhythms as interactive partners dynamically respond to each other across time - has been shown to promote social-emotional wellbeing both during and beyond infancy. Although contributions of dyadic regulation to self-regulatory development may particularly apparent during infant distress, studies have traditionally examined dyadic regulation in low-stress contexts. The present study addresses this gap by identifying distinct patterns of mother-infant dyadic emotion regulation following a highly distressing immunization procedure and then examining how these groups differed in mother and infant personality and temperament characteristics. Mother-infant dyads (N = 131) were videotaped during a routine immunization procedure, and infant crying and maternal soothing behaviors were subsequently coded. Cluster analysis was applied to trajectories of latent states representing each dyad's post-immunization behaviors. Results indicated five typologies of dyadic regulation following infant immunization. These typologies reflected the effectiveness with which the dyad worked together to soothe infant distress, as well as the specific maternal soothing behaviors employed. Differences in maternal personality and infant temperament among clusters indicated that both mothers and infants contributed to the dynamic regulatory process.
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Stifter CA, Moding KJ. Infant temperament and parent use of food to soothe predict change in weight-for-length across infancy: early risk factors for childhood obesity. Int J Obes (Lond) 2018; 42:1631-1638. [PMID: 29463917 PMCID: PMC6066452 DOI: 10.1038/s41366-018-0006-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2017] [Revised: 10/18/2017] [Accepted: 11/27/2017] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Greater weight gain in infancy is a risk factor for childhood obesity. The present study examined the interaction between infant temperament and parent use of food to soothe infant distress (FTS) as predictors of weight gain across the first 2 years of life. SUBJECTS/METHODS A total of 160 mother-infant dyads were recruited into a longitudinal study. Infant temperament was assessed by parents through a questionnaire (surgency, negativity) and by observer ratings (surgency, irritability) during a laboratory visit when infants were 6 months old. Parents also completed a 3-day infant cry diary when their children were 6 months of age to assess when they used food in response to infant cry/fuss bouts. Infant weight/length was measured in the lab at 6 and 18 months. Multiple regressions were run to test the moderating effect of FTS on weight gain. RESULTS Significant interactions were revealed for both measures of surgency and parent FTS in predicting weight gain. Surgent infants whose parents had a greater tendency to use FTS had greater weight-for-length gain in 1 year than if their parents tended to use less FTS. The interaction between observer ratings of irritability and parent FTS was also significant but in an unexpected direction. CONCLUSIONS The findings point to the role of temperament, specifically surgency, in weight gain during infancy, but only if their parents used FTS. Surgency may have evoked this feeding practice that increased their health risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cynthia A Stifter
- Department of Human Development and Family Studies, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, State College, PA, USA.
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Moding KJ, Stifter CA. Does Temperament Underlie Infant Novel Food Responses?: Continuity of Approach-Withdrawal From 6 to 18 Months. Child Dev 2017; 89:e444-e458. [PMID: 28766867 DOI: 10.1111/cdev.12902] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
This study investigated whether temperamental approach-withdrawal underlies infants' responses to novel foods. Data were drawn from a longitudinal study of mother-infant dyads (n = 136). Approach-withdrawal responses to novel foods and novel toys were coded when infants were 6 and 12 months of age. When infants were 18 months of age, approach-withdrawal behaviors, positive affect, and negative affect were used in a latent profile analysis to identify groups of toddlers who exhibited similar responses to novelty. As predicted, novel food and novel toy responses were concurrently associated at 12 months and followed a similar developmental pattern across the 1st year. Furthermore, novel food acceptance at 12 months of age, but not 6 months, predicted greater toddler approach.
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12
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Abstract
The current study aimed to substantiate and extend our understanding regarding the existence and developmental pathways of 3 distinct temperament profiles-exuberant, inhibited, and average approach-in a sample of 3.5-year-old children (n = 121). The interactions between temperamental styles and specific types of effortful control, inhibitory control and attentional control, were also examined in predicting kindergarten peer acceptance. Latent profile analysis identified 3 temperamental styles: exuberant, inhibited, and average approach. Support was found for the adaptive role of inhibitory control for exuberant children and attentional control for inhibited children in promoting peer acceptance in kindergarten. These findings add to our current understanding of temperamental profiles by using sophisticated methodology in a slightly older, community sample, as well as the importance of examining specific types of self-regulation to identify which skills lower risk for children of different temperamental styles. (PsycINFO Database Record
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica M Dollar
- Department of Human Development and Family Studies, University of North Carolina at Greensboro
| | - Cynthia A Stifter
- Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Pennsylvania State University
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Augustine ME, Moding KJ, Stifter CA. Predicting toddler temperamental approach-withdrawal: Contributions of early approach tendencies, parenting behavior, and contextual novelty. J Res Pers 2017; 67:97-105. [PMID: 28416889 DOI: 10.1016/j.jrp.2016.05.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Research suggests that temperamental approach-withdrawal is subject to parenting influences, but few studies have explored how specific parenting behaviors and contextual novelty contribute to the observed pattern of effects. The present study examined associations between infant temperamental approach, mother behavior while introducing novel objects (12 months) and temperamental approach-withdrawal in toddlerhood (18 months) in a sample of 132 infants (68 males). Maternal positive affect predicted more toddler approach-withdrawal for high-approach infants and maternal stimulation predicted less toddler approach-withdrawal for low-approach infants; however, these patterns varied with intensity of novelty in both parenting and toddler outcome contexts. Thus, maternal behavior may lead to stronger associations between earlier and later measures of approach-withdrawal; however, these effects are tied to contexts of measurement.
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14
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Moding KJ, Stifter CA. Temperamental approach/withdrawal and food neophobia in early childhood: Concurrent and longitudinal associations. Appetite 2016; 107:654-662. [PMID: 27622985 DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2016.09.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2016] [Revised: 09/06/2016] [Accepted: 09/09/2016] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
The purpose of the present study was to investigate whether temperamental approach/withdrawal processes were concurrently and longitudinally associated with parent ratings and behavioral observations of food neophobia at 4.5 years of age. Additionally, maternal feeding practices were examined as potential moderators of the association between toddler temperament and food neophobia. Data were drawn from a longitudinal study following individuals (n = 82) from infancy through early childhood. At 18 months of age, toddlers were observed in an unfamiliar laboratory setting with an experimenter and their reactions were coded. At 4.5 years of age, the children were again observed in an unfamiliar setting and were also offered three novel foods (lychee, nori, and haw jelly). The number of foods they refused to taste was used as a measure of behavioral neophobia. Finally, mothers reported on their child's food neophobia and temperament, as well as their own feeding practices. As expected, temperament was associated with concurrent measures of food neophobia at 4.5 years of age. Also, low approach children who exhibited high negative affect and low positive affect in response to novelty at 18 months of age had higher levels of food neophobia at 4.5 years of age compared to their peers. Furthermore, evidence emerged to show that these neophobic tendencies in low approach children were strengthened by a maternal pressuring feeding style. Collectively, the results of this study emphasize that children who have low levels of temperamental approach are at a heightened risk for developing food neophobia during childhood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kameron J Moding
- Department of Human Development and Family Studies, 119 Health and Human Development Building, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, United States.
| | - Cynthia A Stifter
- Department of Human Development and Family Studies, 119 Health and Human Development Building, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, United States
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Doub AE, Moding KJ, Stifter CA. Infant and maternal predictors of early life feeding decisions. The timing of solid food introduction. Appetite 2015; 92:261-8. [PMID: 26025089 PMCID: PMC4499500 DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2015.05.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2014] [Revised: 04/26/2015] [Accepted: 05/22/2015] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
There is limited research on the maternal and infant characteristics associated with the timing of solid food introduction. The current study examined how maternal feeding style and infant temperament independently and interactively predicted the age at which infants were introduced to solid food. Data from 115 predominately white, middle-class mothers were collected when infants were 4 and 6 months of age. The timing of solid food introduction was positively correlated with mothers' age, education, breastfeeding at 4 months, self-reported responsiveness to infants' hunger and satiety cues, and negatively correlated with mothers' pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI), beliefs about feeding infants solid food prior to 6 months of age, and infants' temperamental motor reactivity. When controlling for maternal age, education, pre-pregnancy BMI, and milk feeding method at 4 months, the timing of solid food introduction was negatively predicted by mothers' beliefs about feeding solid food prior to 6 months of age. Exploratory interaction analyses suggested that infant temperament marginally moderated maternal feeding style in predicting the timing of solid food introduction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Allison E. Doub
- 315 Health and Human Development-East Building, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, United States
| | - Kameron J. Moding
- 315 Health and Human Development-East Building, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, United States
| | - Cynthia A. Stifter
- 308 Health & Human Development-East Building, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park PA 16802, United States
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Stifter CA, Moding KJ. Understanding and measuring parent use of food to soothe infant and toddler distress: A longitudinal study from 6 to 18 months of age. Appetite 2015; 95:188-96. [PMID: 26164121 DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2015.07.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2014] [Revised: 06/09/2015] [Accepted: 07/07/2015] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The present study examined the development of parent use of food to soothe infant distress by examining this feeding practice longitudinally when infants were 6, 12 and 18 months of age. Two measures of feeding to soothe were obtained: parent self-report and observations of food to soothe during each laboratory visit. Demographic and maternal predictors of food to soothe were examined as well as the outcome, infant weight gain. The findings showed that the two measures of food to soothe were unrelated but did reveal similar and unique relations with predictor variables such as parent feeding style and maternal self-efficacy. Only observations of the use of food to soothe were related to infant weight gain. The findings indicate that the two measures of food to soothe may be complementary and that observations of this feeding practice may capture certain relations that are not obtained through the use of self-report.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cynthia A Stifter
- Department of Human Development and Family Studies, 119 Health and Human Development Building, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, United States.
| | - Kameron J Moding
- Department of Human Development and Family Studies, 119 Health and Human Development Building, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, United States
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17
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Willoughby MT, Stifter CA, Gottfredson NC. The epidemiology of observed temperament: Factor structure and demographic group differences. Infant Behav Dev 2015; 39:21-34. [PMID: 25733489 PMCID: PMC4417459 DOI: 10.1016/j.infbeh.2015.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2014] [Revised: 12/29/2014] [Accepted: 02/10/2015] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
This study investigated the factor structure of observational indicators of children's temperament that were collected across the first three years of life in the Family Life Project (N=1205) sample. A four-factor model (activity level, fear, anger, regulation), which corresponded broadly to Rothbart's distinction between reactivity and regulation, provided an acceptable fit the observed data. Tests of measurement invariance demonstrated that a majority of the observational indicators exhibited comparable measurement properties for male vs. female, black vs. white, and poor vs. not-poor children, which improved the generalizability of these results. Unadjusted demographic group comparisons revealed small to moderate sized differences (Cohen ds=|.23-.42|) in temperamental reactivity and moderate to large sized differences (Cohen ds=-.64--.97) in regulation. Collectively, demographic variables explained more of the variation in regulation (R(2)=.25) than in reactivity (R(2)=.02-.06). Follow-up analyses demonstrated that race differences were substantially diminished in magnitude and better accounted for by poverty. These results help to validate the distinction between temperamental reactivity and regulation using observational indicators.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Cynthia A Stifter
- Human Development & Family Studies, Pennsylvania State University, United States
| | - Nisha C Gottfredson
- Center for Developmental Science, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, United States
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18
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Abstract
This longitudinal study highlights the role of specific parenting behaviors in specific contexts when predicting moral development in children of varying temperament types. A sample of mother-child dyads took part in a competing demands task involving differing "do" and "don't" contextual demands when the child was 2 years of age. Child temperament was also assessed at this time, yielding inhibited, exuberant, and low-reactive temperament groups. Children's moral behavior was assessed at 5.5 years of age. Models examining the interaction of temperament and mother behaviors in each context indicated that mother's reasoning/explanation and ignoring in the "do" context predicted later moral behavior in inhibited children, whereas redirection and commands in the "don't" context predicted moral behavior in exuberant children.
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19
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Stifter CA, Rovine M. Modeling dyadic processes using Hidden Markov Models: A time series approach to mother-infant interactions during infant immunization. Infant Child Dev 2015; 24:298-321. [PMID: 27284272 DOI: 10.1002/icd.1907] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
The focus of the present longitudinal study, to examine mother-infant interaction during the administration of immunizations at two and six months of age, used hidden Markov modeling, a time series approach that produces latent states to describe how mothers and infants work together to bring the infant to a soothed state. Results revealed a 4-state model for the dyadic responses to a two-month inoculation whereas a 6-state model best described the dyadic process at six months. Two of the states at two months and three of the states at six months suggested a progression from high intensity crying to no crying with parents using vestibular and auditory soothing methods. The use of feeding and/or pacifying to soothe the infant characterized one two-month state and two six-month states. These data indicate that with maturation and experience, the mother-infant dyad is becoming more organized around the soothing interaction. Using hidden Markov modeling to describe individual differences, as well as normative processes, is also presented and discussed.
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20
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Morales S, Beekman C, Blandon AY, Stifter CA, Buss KA. Longitudinal associations between temperament and socioemotional outcomes in young children: the moderating role of RSA and gender. Dev Psychobiol 2014; 57:105-19. [PMID: 25399505 DOI: 10.1002/dev.21267] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2013] [Accepted: 10/17/2014] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Temperament is an important predictor of socioemotional adjustment, such as externalizing and internalizing symptoms. However, there is not a one-to-one correspondence between temperamental predispositions and these outcomes, implying that other factors also contribute to the development of internalizing and externalizing problems. Self-regulation is believed to interact with temperament, and has been studied as a predictor for later socioemotional outcomes. Respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) is a psychophysiological measure of self-regulation that has been studied as a moderator of risk. The primary aim of the present study was to test if RSA baseline and RSA reactivity would moderate the link between temperament and socioemotional outcomes. Mothers reported the temperament of their infants (20 months; N = 154), RSA was collected at 24- and 42-months, and mothers reported externalizing and internalizing behaviors at kindergarten entry. RSA baseline and RSA reactivity moderated the relation between exuberant temperament and externalizing behaviors. However, these results were only significant for girls, such that high RSA baseline and greater RSA suppression predicted more externalizing behaviors when exuberance was high. Fearful temperament predicted later internalizing behaviors, but no moderation was present. These results are discussed in light of recent evidence regarding gender differences in the role of RSA as a protective factor for risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Santiago Morales
- Psychology Department at the Pennsylvania State University, 278 Moore Building, 16802, PA.
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21
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Kim BR, Stifter CA, Philbrook LE, Teti DM. Infant emotion regulation: relations to bedtime emotional availability, attachment security, and temperament. Infant Behav Dev 2014; 37:480-90. [PMID: 24995668 PMCID: PMC4262588 DOI: 10.1016/j.infbeh.2014.06.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2014] [Revised: 05/14/2014] [Accepted: 06/14/2014] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
The present study examines the influences of mothers' emotional availability toward their infants during bedtime, infant attachment security, and interactions between bedtime parenting and attachment with infant temperamental negative affectivity, on infants' emotion regulation strategy use at 12 and 18 months. Infants' emotion regulation strategies were assessed during a frustration task that required infants to regulate their emotions in the absence of parental support. Whereas emotional availability was not directly related to infants' emotion regulation strategies, infant attachment security had direct relations with infants' orienting toward the environment and tension reduction behaviors. Both maternal emotional availability and security of the mother-infant attachment relationship interacted with infant temperamental negative affectivity to predict two strategies that were less adaptive in regulating frustration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bo-Ram Kim
- Human Development and Family Studies, The Pennsylvania State University, United States.
| | - Cynthia A Stifter
- Human Development and Family Studies, The Pennsylvania State University, United States
| | - Lauren E Philbrook
- Human Development and Family Studies, The Pennsylvania State University, United States
| | - Douglas M Teti
- Human Development and Family Studies, The Pennsylvania State University, United States
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22
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Moding KJ, Birch LL, Stifter CA. Infant temperament and feeding history predict infants' responses to novel foods. Appetite 2014; 83:218-225. [PMID: 25173062 DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2014.08.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2014] [Revised: 08/20/2014] [Accepted: 08/23/2014] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The purpose of the present study was to investigate whether infant temperament and previous feeding history were associated with infants' acceptance and rejection of a novel food at 12 months of age. Mother-infant dyads (n = 89) were video-recorded during a novel food (hummus, cottage cheese) feeding task. Infants' reactions (acceptance and rejection behaviors) and maternal responsiveness and affect during the interaction were coded from the recordings by teams of coders. Mothers reported on their infants' temperamental approach via the Infant Behavior Questionnaire-Revised (IBQ-R) and their infants' feeding history (previous exposure to solid foods and exclusive breastfeeding). Regression analyses revealed that infants rated lower on approach showed less acceptance of the first offer of novel food than infants rated higher on approach. Additionally, low approach infants who were previously exposed to a greater number of solid foods showed fewer rejection behaviors in response to the later offers of food. Exclusive breastfeeding for 4 months did not appear to have an effect on acceptance or rejection. Finally, greater maternal responsiveness was related to the infants' acceptance of the new food whereas lower maternal responsiveness was associated with rejection of the novel food. These results suggest that the acceptance and rejection of new foods by infants is dependent upon their temperament and previous exposure to solid foods, as well as the manner in which mothers present the novel food.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kameron J Moding
- Department of Human Development and Family Studies, 315 Health and Human Development East Building, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA.
| | - Leann L Birch
- Department of Foods and Nutrition, 176 Dawson Hall, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602-3632, USA
| | - Cynthia A Stifter
- Department of Human Development and Family Studies, 315 Health and Human Development East Building, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
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23
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Abstract
Coparenting, the coordination between adults in their parental roles, contributes to the functioning of multiple family subsystems. The ecological context model of coparenting posits that multiple factors, including contextual, marital, and child characteristics, influence coparenting behavior (Feinberg, 2003). To date, coparenting has primarily been considered a between-family construct, and the focus has been on examining the factors that account for differences in coparenting across families. There is very limited research exploring variations in coparenting within-families across contexts. To address this gap, the current study explores whether there is significant within- and between-family variation in coparenting. In addition, family, marital, and child correlates of both within- and between-family variation in coparenting are examined. Fifty-eight 2-parent families, drawn from a larger ongoing longitudinal study on children's emotional development, participated in this study. Parents and their children participated in a laboratory visit when children were 42-months-old that included 3 triadic family interaction tasks that were coded to assess cooperative and competitive coparenting, as well as child-centered behavior. In addition, children completed a computerized go/no-go task to assess their inhibitory control and parents completed questionnaires about their marital relationship quality. Results indicated that a substantial portion of the variance in coparenting occurred within families. In addition, the correlates of coparenting cooperation and competition differed.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Cynthia A Stifter
- Department of Human Development and Family Studies, The Pennsylvania State University
| | - Kristin A Buss
- Department of Psychology, The Pennsylvania State University
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24
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Scrimgeour MB, Blandon AY, Stifter CA, Buss KA. Cooperative coparenting moderates the association between parenting practices and children's prosocial behavior. J Fam Psychol 2013; 27:506-511. [PMID: 23750531 PMCID: PMC3712757 DOI: 10.1037/a0032893] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
This study examined how aspects of the parenting and coparenting relationships relate to children's prosocial behavior in early childhood. Fifty-eight 2-parent families from a larger ongoing longitudinal study participated in this study. Mothers completed questionnaires that measured their use of inductive reasoning, as well as their children's prosocial behavior. Furthermore, parents and their children participated in 3 triadic interaction tasks that were coded to assess cooperative coparenting behavior. Results revealed that cooperative coparenting was positively associated with children's prosocial behavior. A significant interaction also emerged between maternal inductive reasoning and cooperative coparenting behavior. These findings underscore the important role of a cooperative coparenting subsystem in influencing children's emerging prosocial behavior, as well as highlight the association between positive parenting practices and children's prosocial development within the context of cooperative coparenting behaviors. This study demonstrates the utility of understanding family-level processes that contribute to children's prosocial development during early childhood.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Cynthia A Stifter
- Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Pennsylvania State University
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25
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Anzman-Frasca S, Stifter CA, Paul IM, Birch LL. Infant temperament and maternal parenting self-efficacy predict child weight outcomes. Infant Behav Dev 2013; 36:494-7. [PMID: 23728195 DOI: 10.1016/j.infbeh.2013.04.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2012] [Revised: 01/28/2013] [Accepted: 04/30/2013] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Relationships between infant negative reactivity and self-regulation, parenting self-efficacy, and child weight outcomes were examined. Greater observed negative reactivity predicted more child weight gain when mothers had lower parenting self-efficacy. Lower mother-reported self-regulation predicted a greater child weight status. Results highlight potential early risk/protective factors.
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26
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Cipriano-Essel E, Skowron EA, Stifter CA, Teti DM. Heterogeneity in Maltreated and Non-maltreated Preschool Children's Inhibitory Control: The Interplay Between Parenting Quality and Child Temperament. Infant Child Dev 2013; 22:501-522. [PMID: 24729743 DOI: 10.1002/icd.1801] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
This study examined the contribution of child temperament, parenting, and their interaction on inhibitory control development in a sample of maltreated and non-maltreated preschool children. One hundred and eighteen mother-child dyads were drawn from predominantly low-income, rural communities. Dyads participated in a laboratory session in which maternal warm autonomy support, warm guidance, and strict/hostile control were observationally coded during a joint teaching task. Independent assessments of children's inhibitory control were obtained, and observers rated children's temperament. After relevant covariates, including income, maternal education, and child age and IQ were controlled for, there were no differences between the maltreatment and non-maltreatment groups in either children's inhibitory control or mothers' behaviours in the laboratory session. Even after much of the variance in children's inhibitory control was accounted for from the covariates, children's temperamental negativity moderated the effects of warm autonomy support on inhibitory control in both maltreatment and non-maltreatment groups. Temperamentally negative children whose mothers displayed more warm autonomy support showed greater inhibitory control, at levels on par with low-negative children. Findings suggest that heterogeneity in children's self-regulation may be due in part to individual differences in sensitivity to caregiver support for children's independence, even among those exposed to maltreatment.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Douglas M Teti
- The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
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27
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Towe-Goodman NR, Stifter CA, Mills-Koonce WR, Granger DA. Interparental aggression and infant patterns of adrenocortical and behavioral stress responses. Dev Psychobiol 2012; 54:685-99. [PMID: 22127795 PMCID: PMC3291808 DOI: 10.1002/dev.20618] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2010] [Accepted: 09/29/2011] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Drawing on emotional security theory, this study examined linkages between interparental aggression, infant self-regulatory behaviors, and patterns of physiological and behavioral stress responses in a diverse sample of 735 infants residing in predominately low-income, non-metropolitan communities. Latent profile analysis revealed four classes of adrenocortical and behavioral stress-response patterns at 7 months of age, using assessments of behavioral and cortisol reactivity to an emotion eliciting challenge, as well as global ratings of the child's negative affect and basal cortisol levels. The addition of covariates within the latent profile model suggested that children with more violence in the home and children who used less caregiver-oriented regulation strategies were more likely to exhibit a pattern of high cortisol reactivity with moderate signs of distress rather than the average stress response, suggesting possible patterns of adaptation in violent households.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nissa R Towe-Goodman
- Center for Developmental Science, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA.
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28
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Dollar JM, Stifter CA. Temperamental surgency and emotion regulation as predictors of childhood social competence. J Exp Child Psychol 2012; 112:178-94. [PMID: 22414737 PMCID: PMC4329969 DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2012.02.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2011] [Revised: 02/01/2012] [Accepted: 02/03/2012] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
The primary aims of the current study were to longitudinally examine the direct relationship between children's temperamental surgency and social behaviors as well as the moderating role of children's emotion regulation. A total of 90 4.5-year-old children participated in a laboratory visit where children's temperamental surgency was rated by experimenters and children's emotion regulation abilities were assessed. The summer before entry into first grade, children's social behaviors with unfamiliar peers were observed in the laboratory and mothers completed a questionnaire about children's social behaviors. Supporting our hypotheses, results revealed that children high in temperamental surgency developed more negative peer behaviors, whereas children low in temperamental surgency were more likely to develop behavioral wariness with peers. Emotion regulatory behaviors were found to moderate the relation between temperamental surgency and aggression, where high-surgent children who showed high levels of social support seeking were less likely to be rated by their mothers as high in aggression. Furthermore, results revealed that low-surgent children who showed high levels of distraction/self-soothing were more likely to show behavioral wariness around unfamiliar peers, whereas high-surgent children who used more distraction/self-soothing behaviors were rated by their mothers as lower in social competence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica M Dollar
- Human Development and Family Studies, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA.
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29
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Abstract
Despite an extensive history underscoring the role of social processes and child contributions to the development of executive functions (C. Lewis & J. Carpendale, 2009; L. S. Vygotsky, 1987), research on these relations is sparse. To address this gap, 68 mother-child dyads were examined to determine whether maternal attention-directing behaviors (attention maintaining, attention redirection) and toddlers' temperament predicted executive processes during preschool (mean age = 4.5 years, SD = 0.46)-delay and conflict inhibition. Maternal attention maintaining was associated with high levels of conflict inhibition for inhibited and exuberant children, whereas attention redirection was associated with low levels of delay and conflict inhibition for inhibited children. Therefore, maternal attention-directing behaviors may enhance the development of executive functions but only for children with inhibited and exuberant temperaments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne Conway
- Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA.
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30
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Stifter CA, Anzman-Frasca S, Birch LL, Voegtline K. Parent use of food to soothe infant/toddler distress and child weight status. An exploratory study. Appetite 2011; 57:693-9. [DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2011.08.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 148] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2011] [Revised: 07/24/2011] [Accepted: 08/16/2011] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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31
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Stifter CA, Dollar JM, Cipriano EA. Temperament and emotion regulation: the role of autonomic nervous system reactivity. Dev Psychobiol 2011; 53:266-79. [PMID: 21400489 PMCID: PMC3737744 DOI: 10.1002/dev.20519] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2010] [Accepted: 10/14/2010] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
The aim of the present study was to examine the moderating role of parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous system functioning on the relationship between child temperament and emotion regulation. Sixty-two 4.5-year olds (31 females) were rated by their parents on temperamental surgency. Respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) and pre-ejection period (PEP) were measured at baseline and in reaction to an interaction with an unfamiliar person and a cognitive test. The preschoolers' ability to self-regulate emotion was assessed in response to a disappointment. Results revealed little or no PEP reactivity to the unfamiliar person to be related to poorer emotion regulation for children high in surgency, indicating that the lack of sympathetic activation may be a risk factor for behavioral maladjustment. Reciprocal sympathetic activation, or increases in sympathetic activity accompanied by decreases in parasympathetic activity, was associated with better regulation of emotion for all levels of temperamental surgency supporting previous work that reciprocal activation is an adaptive form of autonomic control.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jessica M. Dollar
- The Pennsylvania State University University, Park, PA, United States
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32
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Voegtline KM, Stifter CA. Late-preterm birth, maternal symptomatology, and infant negativity. Infant Behav Dev 2010; 33:545-54. [PMID: 20732715 DOI: 10.1016/j.infbeh.2010.07.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2009] [Revised: 03/10/2010] [Accepted: 07/18/2010] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The present study examined infant negativity and maternal symptomatology by term status in a predominately low-income, rural sample of 132 infants (66 late-preterm) and their mothers. Late-preterm and term infants were group-matched by race, income, and maternal age. Maternal depression and anxiety symptoms were measured with the Brief Symptom Inventory 18 (BSI-18) when infants were 2 and 6 months of age. Also at 6 months, infant negativity was assessed by global observer ratings, maternal ratings, and microanalytic behavioral coding of fear and frustration. Results indicate that after controlling for infant age, late-preterm status predicted higher ratings of infant negativity by mothers, but not by global observers or microanalytic coding, despite a positive association in negativity across the three measures. Further, mothers of late-preterm infants reported more elevated and chronic co-morbid symptoms of depression and anxiety, which in turn, was related to concurrent maternal ratings of their infant's negativity. Mothers' response to late-preterm birth and partiality in the assessment of their infant's temperament is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristin M Voegtline
- Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA.
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33
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Abstract
This longitudinal study assessed whether maternal behavior and emotional tone moderated the relationship between toddler temperament and preschooler's effortful control. Maternal behavior and emotional tone were observed during a parent-child competing demands task when children were 2 years of age. Child temperament was also assessed at 2 years of age, and three temperament groups were formed: inhibited, exuberant, and low reactive. At 4.5 years of age, children's effortful control was measured from parent-report and observational measures. Results indicated that parental behavior and emotional tone appear to be especially influential on exuberant children's effortful control development. Exuberant children whose mothers used commands and prohibitive statements with a positive emotional tone were more likely to be rated higher on parent-reported effortful control 2.5 years later. When mothers conveyed redirections and reasoning-explanations in a neutral tone, their exuberant children showed poorer effortful control at 4.5 years.
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Abstract
In this longitudinal study we examined whether two components of effortful control, behavioral control and executive function, moderated the relation between temperament and conscience development. Temperament was assessed when participants were 2 years of age, and three temperament groups were formed; inhibited, exuberant, and low reactive. At 4.5 years of age children's behavioral control and executive function were assessed. Moral behavior, emotionality during an empathy film, and false-belief understanding were measured at 5.5 years of age as components of conscience. Results indicate that inhibited children may benefit most from higher levels of effortful control. Inhibited children with higher levels of behavioral control performed better on false-belief understanding tasks whereas inhibited children who scored higher on executive function tests reported less emotional response to the evocative film. Finally, as a group, inhibited children exhibited more moral behavior than exuberant and low reactive children.
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35
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Abstract
Many parents, grandparents, and clinicians have associated a baby’s ability to eat and gain weight as a sign of good health, and clinicians typically only call significant attention to infant growth if a baby is failing to thrive or showing severe excesses in growth. Recent evidence, however, has suggested that pediatric healthcare providers should pay closer attention to growth patterns during infancy. Both higher weight and upward crossing of major percentile lines on the weight-for-age growth chart during infancy have long term health consequences, and are associated with overweight and obesity later in life. Clinicians should utilize the numerous available opportunities to discuss healthy growth and growth charts during health maintenance visits in the first two years after birth. Further, providers should instruct parents on strategies to promote healthy behaviors that can have long lasting obesity preventive effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ian M Paul
- Pediatrics, Penn State College of Medicine, HS83, 500 University Drive, Hershey, PA 17033, USA.
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36
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37
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Stifter CA, Willoughby MT, Towe-Goodman N. Agree or Agree to Disagree? Assessing the Convergence between Parents and Observers on Infant Temperament. Infant Child Dev 2008; 17:407-426. [PMID: 19936035 DOI: 10.1002/icd.584] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
The assessment of infant temperament has been typically accomplished with parent questionnaires. When compared with temperament behaviours observed in the laboratory, parents and observers generally do not agree, leading some researchers to question the validity of parent report. This paper reports on a representative sample of infants whose families resided in non-metropolitan counties and whose temperament was measured in three ways: (1) standard parent report (Infant Behavior Questionnaire); (2) observer ratings across two lengthy home visits; and (3) observer coding of second-by-second reactions to specific emotion-eliciting tasks. In order to account for both trait and method variance, structural equation modelling was applied to a sample of 955 infants (M age = 7.3 months) using variables from the three methods that reflected the dimensions of positivity and negativity. Although models based solely on method factors and trait factors fit the data well, results indicated that a model that included method and trait factors provided the best fit. Results also indicated that parents and observers (either across the home visit or to specific tasks) converge, to a degree, on ratings of the positivity dimension but diverge on the negativity dimension.
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39
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40
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Abstract
Temperament, effortful control, and problem behaviors at 4.5 years were assessed in 72 children classified as exuberant, inhibited, and low reactive as 2-year-olds. Exuberant toddlers were more positive, socially responsive to novel persons, less shy, and rated as having more problem behaviors, including externalizing and internalizing behaviors, than other children as preschoolers. Two forms of effortful control, the ability to delay a response and the ability to produce a subdominant response, were associated with fewer externalizing behaviors, whereas expressing more negative affect (relative to positive/neutral affect) when disappointed was related to more internalizing behaviors. Interaction effects implicated high levels of unregulated emotion during disappointment as a risk factor for problem behaviors in exuberant children.
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Abstract
This study provides comparative data on cardiac reactivity to common laboratory tasks in preschool children (ages 4.5-5.5 years) and young adults. We used a series of tasks (an emotionally evocative video, interview, reaction time task, and cold forehead pressor) to examine whether pre-ejection period, a common estimate of sympathetic cardiac activity in adults, provides a comparable measure of sympathetic reactivity to these tasks in preschool children. Our results demonstrate that the cardiac reactivity (pre-ejection period, respiratory sinus arrhythmia, and heart period) to such tasks in children and young adults is similar, but with smaller sympathetic reactivity in children. The consistency of the reactivity across tasks within individuals and consistency of reactivity across children and young adults suggests that pre-ejection period is a reasonable estimate of sympathetic activity in children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen S Quigley
- War Related Illness & Injury Study Center, Department of Veterans Affairs-New Jersey Heath Care System, East Orange, New Jersey 07018, USA.
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Spinrad TL, Stifter CA. Toddlers' Empathy-Related Responding to Distress: Predictions From Negative Emotionality and Maternal Behavior in Infancy. Infancy 2006. [DOI: 10.1207/s15327078in1002_1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 90] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/31/2022]
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Spinrad TL, Stifter CA, Donelan-McCall N, Turner L. Mothers' Regulation Strategies in Response to Toddlers' Affect: Links to Later Emotion Self-Regulation. Social Development 2004. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-9507.2004.00256.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 109] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Abstract
Previous research has investigated the effect of maternal soothing behaviors on reducing infant reactivity but not the differential effects of specific maternal behaviors on infant stress responses. The present study investigated maternal regulation of 2- and 6-month-olds' responses to an inoculation and found a significant decline with age in both the intensity and duration of infants' crying. Maternal affection and touching decreased from 2 to 6 months, whereas maternal vocalizing and distraction behaviors increased. At both ages, the combination of maternal holding/rocking and vocalizing was associated with decreases in all levels of infant reactivity. Neither strategy alone, however, was found to be effective. Feeding/ pacifying behaviors were effective only when initial distress was at a low or moderate level, which suggests that the effectiveness of maternal regulatory behaviors may depend on the intensity of infants' crying.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laudan B Jahromi
- Department of Human Development and Family Studies, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA.
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Putnam SP, Stifter CA. Development of approach and inhibition in the first year: parallel findings from motor behavior, temperament ratings and directional cardiac response. Dev Sci 2002. [DOI: 10.1111/1467-7687.00239] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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