The rich get richer? Children's reasoning about socioeconomic status predicts inclusion and resource bias.

Children's socioeconomic status (SES) is linked to disparate access to resources and affects social behaviors such as inclusion and resource allocations. Yet it is unclear whether children's essentialized view of SES (i.e., believing SES is immutable) or subjective social status (SSS) influences behavioral biases toward high- versus low-SES peers. We measured 4- to 9-year-old children's SES essentialism and SSS to test whether these predict inclusion and resource allocations to high- versus low-SES peers (N = 127; from a midsize city in the Southeastern United States; 49.6% female; parent-reported 54.2% White, 2.8% Black, 8.3% Latine, 5.6% Asian, 1.4% another race, 27.8% multiracial, 43.3% not provided). We also compared children's SES beliefs to their parent's. Children's SES essentialism and SSS decreased across the ages tested, and children reported higher SSS than their parents. Parents' SES essentialism predicted younger (but not older) children's SES essentialism. Moreover, SES essentialism mediated the negative relationship between age and preference for including high-SES peers, while SSS mediated the negative relationship between age and preference for allocating more resources to high-SES peers. This suggests that beliefs about the nature of SES may influence sociorelational behavior like including or excluding others, while perceived social status (SSS) may influence resource allocations. Furthermore, older children and those with lower SES essentialism included low- versus high-SES peers more often while older and lower SSS children distributed more resources toward low- versus high-SES peers. Thus, children's SES essentialism and SSS may also influence their behaviors to either perpetuate or rectify inequality. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Supporting child and family resilience in the face of political violence: Evidence from a home visit parenting program.

Political violence affects more than 25% of children globally, yet little is known about how to support positive adaptation among conflict-affected children. Using a sample of 3797 Nicaraguan child-caregiver dyads (MAgeTime1 = 1.5 years, MAgeTime2 = 5.9 years; 51% male), this registered report used a novel quasi-experimental approach to examine how exposure to political violence relates to child and caregiver outcomes, and to test three policy-relevant moderators: participation in a large-scale home visit parenting program, household economic disruption, and media exposure. Results revealed positive associations between political violence and harsh discipline practices (0.33 SD), but there was no evidence that political violence affected children's behavior, caregiver depressive symptoms, or responsive parenting practices, and there was no evidence of moderation.

[Intimate Partner Violence and Early Childhood DevelopmentViolência por parceiro íntimo e desenvolvimento na primeira infância]. / Violencia de pareja y desarrollo infantil temprano.

Objectives: To describe the prevalence of different types of intimate partner violence and estimate how this relates to child development in a low-income country in Latin America. The relationship between intimate partner violence and childcare practices, including the use of physical punishment, was also examined. Methods: An observational study was conducted using data collected as a baseline for an impact evaluation of the National Early Childhood Program in Nicaragua between 2013 and 2014. The sample included 8921 children between 0 and 5 years and 7436 mothers or caregivers in municipalities with an extreme poverty rate of over 0.2. Results: The data revealed that 61% of mothers or caregivers reported controlling behavior by their partners, 50% suffered emotional violence, and 26% suffered physical violence at some point in their lives. Furthermore, the data demonstrated that children exposed to intimate partner violence displayed greater behavioral problems and delayed language and social-emotional development. These children are also more likely to be born prematurely and to have incomplete vaccination schedules. Finally, homes exposed to intimate partner violence are more likely to create more hostile and unsafe environments for children. Conclusions: The results reflect the magnitude of intimate partner violence and its detrimental effects on children. Public policies need to be devised and implemented not only to prevent this behavior and mitigate sequelae in exposed children but also to curb the intergenerational transmission of violence.

Objetivos: Descrever a prevalência de diferentes tipos de violência por parceiro íntimo em um país de baixa renda da América Latina e estimar sua relação com o desenvolvimento infantil das crianças expostas. Também foi estimada a relação entre a violência por parceiro íntimo e práticas de cuidado infantil, incluindo o castigo físico. Métodos: Foi realizado um estudo observacional utilizando dados coletados como linha de base para uma avaliação de impacto do Programa Nacional da Primeira Infância na Nicarágua, entre 2013 e 2014. A amostra conta com 8.921 crianças de 0 a 5 anos e 7.436 mães ou cuidadores, localizados em municípios com índice de extrema pobreza superior a 0,2. Resultados: Os dados indicam que 61% das mães ou cuidadores relataram comportamentos controladores de seus parceiros, 50% sofreram violência emocional e 26% sofreram violência física em algum momento da vida. Além disso, os dados mostram que crianças expostas à violência por parceiro íntimo apresentam pior comportamento e mais defasagens no desenvolvimento da linguagem e no desenvolvimento socioindividual. Também são mais propensas a nascer prematuramente e a ter esquema de vacinação incompleto. Finalmente, os lares expostos à violência pelo parceiro íntimo têm mais probabilidade de ser um ambiente mais hostil e inseguro para as crianças. Conclusões: Os resultados refletem a magnitude da violência por parceiro íntimo e como ela afeta negativamente as crianças. Consequentemente, é importante que se elaborem e implementem políticas públicas para a prevenção desse comportamento, a fim de evitar as sequelas que ele gera nas crianças e interromper sua transmissão intergeracional.

Effect of daily school and care disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic on child behavior problems.

The COVID-19 pandemic profoundly affected American families and children, including through the closure or change in the nature of their care and school settings. As the pandemic has persisted, many children remain in remote schooling and those attending in-person childcare or school have contended with unpredictable closures. This study investigated the frequency and consequences of disruptions to children's childcare and school arrangements during Fall 2020. The sample is parents who were hourly service-sector workers prior to the pandemic, had a young child between the ages of 3 and 8, and were at least partially responsible for their children's school and/or care in Fall 2020 (N = 676); half of the sample were non-Hispanic Black, 22% were Hispanic, and 18% are non-Hispanic White. Parents were asked to complete 30 days of daily surveys about whether their care and school arrangements went smoothly and as predicted that day, about their mood, parenting behaviors, and children's behavior. Results showed that daily disruptions to care and school were common, with families reporting a disruption on 24% of days. Families with children in exclusively remote schooling experienced more frequent disruption than families with children in in-person care or school. For all families, care or school disruptions were related to worse child behavior, more negative parental mood, and increased likelihood of losing temper and punishment. Within-family mediation suggests that parents' difficulties supporting children's learning, and to a lesser degree their mood and parenting behaviors, partially mediate effects of disruptions on child behavior. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Evaluation of Second- and Third-Level Variance Proportions in Multilevel Designs With Completely Observed Populations: A Note on a Latent Variable Modeling Procedure.

Two- and three-level designs in educational and psychological research can involve entire populations of Level-3 and possibly Level-2 units, such as schools and educational districts nested within a given state, or neighborhoods and counties in a state. Such a design is of increasing relevance in empirical research owing to the growing popularity of large-scale studies in these and cognate disciplines. The present note discusses a readily applicable procedure for point-and-interval estimation of the proportions of second- and third-level variances in such multilevel settings, which may also be employed in model choice considerations regarding ensuing analyses for response variables of interest. The method is developed within the framework of the latent variable modeling methodology, is readily utilized with widely used software, and is illustrated with an example.

Violencia de pareja y desarrollo infantil temprano / Intimate Partner Violence and Early Childhood Development / Violência por parceiro íntimo e desenvolvimento na primeira infância

RESUMEN Objetivos. Describir la prevalencia de diferentes tipos de violencia por parte de la pareja íntima, y estimar cómo esta se relaciona con el desarrollo infantil de los niños expuestos, en un país de bajos ingresos en América Latina. También estimamos la relación entre la violencia por parte de la pareja íntima y las prácticas de cuidado infantil, incluyendo el uso de castigo físico. Métodos. Se hizo un estudio observacional, utilizando datos recolectados como línea de base para una evaluación de impacto del Programa Nacional de Primera Infancia en Nicaragua entre 2013 y 2014. La muestra cuenta con 8 921 niños de entre 0 y 5 años y 7 436 madres o cuidadoras, ubicados en municipios que tienen un índice de pobreza extrema mayor a 0,2. Resultados. Los datos indican que el 61% de las madres o cuidadoras ha reportado comportamientos controladores de sus parejas, el 50% ha sufrido violencia emocional y el 26% ha sufrido violencia física alguna vez en su vida. Además, los datos muestran que los niños expuestos a violencia por parte de la pareja íntima muestran un peor comportamiento, y mayores rezagos en el desarrollo del lenguaje y el desarrollo social-individual. También muestran mayores probabilidades de nacimientos prematuros, y son más propensos a tener un esquema de vacunación incompleto. Por último, es más probable que los hogares expuestos a violencia por parte de la pareja íntima sean un ambiente más hostil y poco seguro para los niños. Conclusiones. Los resultados reflejan la magnitud de la violencia por parte de la pareja íntima y cómo esta afecta negativamente a los niños. Consecuentemente, es importante que se diseñen e implementen políticas públicas de prevención de esta conducta para evitar las secuelas que generan en los niños y frenar su transmisión intergeneracional.

ABSTRACT Objectives. To describe the prevalence of different types of intimate partner violence and estimate how this relates to child development in a low-income country in Latin America. The relationship between intimate partner violence and childcare practices, including the use of physical punishment, was also examined. Methods. An observational study was conducted using data collected as a baseline for an impact evaluation of the National Early Childhood Program in Nicaragua between 2013 and 2014. The sample included 8921 children between 0 and 5 years and 7436 mothers or caregivers in municipalities with an extreme poverty rate of over 0.2. Results. The data revealed that 61% of mothers or caregivers reported controlling behavior by their partners, 50% suffered emotional violence, and 26% suffered physical violence at some point in their lives. Furthermore, the data demonstrated that children exposed to intimate partner violence displayed greater behavioral problems and delayed language and social-emotional development. These children are also more likely to be born prematurely and to have incomplete vaccination schedules. Finally, homes exposed to intimate partner violence are more likely to create more hostile and unsafe environments for children. Conclusions. The results reflect the magnitude of intimate partner violence and its detrimental effects on children. Public policies need to be devised and implemented not only to prevent this behavior and mitigate sequelae in exposed children but also to curb the intergenerational transmission of violence.

RESUMO Objetivos. Descrever a prevalência de diferentes tipos de violência por parceiro íntimo em um país de baixa renda da América Latina e estimar sua relação com o desenvolvimento infantil das crianças expostas. Também foi estimada a relação entre a violência por parceiro íntimo e práticas de cuidado infantil, incluindo o castigo físico. Métodos. Foi realizado um estudo observacional utilizando dados coletados como linha de base para uma avaliação de impacto do Programa Nacional da Primeira Infância na Nicarágua, entre 2013 e 2014. A amostra conta com 8.921 crianças de 0 a 5 anos e 7.436 mães ou cuidadores, localizados em municípios com índice de extrema pobreza superior a 0,2. Resultados. Os dados indicam que 61% das mães ou cuidadores relataram comportamentos controladores de seus parceiros, 50% sofreram violência emocional e 26% sofreram violência física em algum momento da vida. Além disso, os dados mostram que crianças expostas à violência por parceiro íntimo apresentam pior comportamento e mais defasagens no desenvolvimento da linguagem e no desenvolvimento socioindividual. Também são mais propensas a nascer prematuramente e a ter esquema de vacinação incompleto. Finalmente, os lares expostos à violência pelo parceiro íntimo têm mais probabilidade de ser um ambiente mais hostil e inseguro para as crianças. Conclusões. Os resultados refletem a magnitude da violência por parceiro íntimo e como ela afeta negativamente as crianças. Consequentemente, é importante que se elaborem e implementem políticas públicas para a prevenção desse comportamento, a fim de evitar as sequelas que ele gera nas crianças e interromper sua transmissão intergeracional.

Lifewide Learning for Early Reading Development.

The authors examine the relationships between children's reading abilities and the enabling environment for learning in the context of Save the Children's Literacy Boost program. They conceptualize the enabling environment at a micro level, with two components: the home literacy environment, represented by reading materials/habits at home, and the community learning environment (community reading activities). Using longitudinal reading scores of 6,874 students in 424 schools in 12 sites across Africa and Asia, there was 1) a modest but consistent relationship between students' home literacy environments and reading scores, and 2) a strong relationship between reading gains and participation in community reading activities, suggesting that interventions should consider both home and community learning environments and their differential influences on interventions across different low-resource settings.