Psychometric properties of the Dutch translation of the Child Self-Report Playfulness questionnaire.

Playfulness represents the disposition to play and has important mental health benefits. Children's playfulness is mainly rated by parents, teachers or trained assessors but playfulness is not always reflected in overt behavior. Fortunately, even young children are able to provide a perspective on their playfulness, as illustrated by research with the Child Self-Report Playfulness questionnaire (CSRP). This study aimed to examine the psychometric properties of the Dutch translation of the CSRP. We included 332 children (M age = 5.43 years). Internal consistency of the Dutch version of the CSRP was suboptimal at first administration and acceptable during retest. Test-retest reliability (with an interval of 8 weeks) was adequate. Confirmatory factor analyses demonstrated that a one-factor model fits the CSRP, which supports the idea that playfulness in young children is a unidimensional construct. Scores on the CSRP were not significantly correlated with scores on a parent-rated questionnaire and an observation tool measuring playfulness. Further research to discover how informant and administration discrepancies affect playfulness scores is warranted given this lack of convergence. Children's self-perception of playfulness may complement more traditional measures such as parent reports in future research.

Early Socio-Emotional Difficulty as a Childhood Barrier to the Expected Benefits of Active Play: Associated Risks for School Engagement in Adolescence.

Active play allows children to develop social and cognitive skills, which could lead to higher school engagement. Little is known about the role of child socioemotional difficulty in these associations. This study aims to examine the interaction between active play and socioemotional difficulty in childhood and their prospective association with academic engagement in adolescence. The participants were 4537 children (51.1% boys) who were longitudinally followed, between ages 6 and 14 years, from the National Longitudinal Study on Children and Youth (NLSCY), Canada. Active play (weekly organized sport and unstructured physical activity outside of school hours) and child behavior (hyperactivity, anxiety, and relational difficulties) were reported by mothers for their children at age 6 years. Academic engagement was self-reported at age 14 years. Unstructured physical activity predicted lower subsequent school engagement for boys (ß = -0.057, p < 0.05). Boys with high anxiety symptoms and high relational aggression who participated in more unstructured physical activity in childhood were subsequently less engaged in school (respectively, ß = -0.066, p < 0.05 and ß = -0.062, p < 0.05). Girls who partook in more organized sports showed lower school engagement in adolescence when they had high anxiety symptoms (ß = -0.067, p < 0.05). Although past studies have highlighted the contribution of active play to school engagement, certain socioemotional difficulties could impede the child's ability to reap its benefits.

It is child's play: Caregiver and playworker perspectives on a community park-based unstructured play program.

Unstructured play is characterized as play that is child initiated and determined, allowing children the freedom and flexibility to engage in activities, including taking risks, without adult intervention. However, playworkers and caregivers are important mediators of children's unstructured play. Studies have investigated playworker and caregiver perspectives regarding play, yet few have done so within the context of community based unstructured play interventions. Our qualitative study explored knowledge, attitudes and perspectives regarding play among playworkers ("play ambassadors") and caregivers exposed to a community based unstructured play intervention implemented in Calgary, Canada. The intervention aimed to encourage unstructured and risky play in local parks via loose parts. Between August and October 2020, ten caregivers and four play ambassadors completed individual semi-structured interviews. Using thematic analysis, we identified four overarching themes. The importance of play (theme 1) reflected play ambassador and caregiver perspectives about how unstructured and risky play promoted health and development and offered opportunities for enjoyment, exploration, and social interaction. Perceptions of the play environment (theme 2) reflected play ambassador and caregiver experiences of the play hubs including the role of loose parts in shaping play. Challenges and triumphs in promoting play (theme 3) reflected play ambassador experiences in facilitating play as well as interactions between caregivers and play ambassadors. Play hub impacts on the community (theme 4) reflected play ambassador and caregiver perspectives on the role of the play hubs in facilitating social interactions and community engagement. Play Ambassadors and caregivers shared common beliefs about the benefits of unstructured and risky play and about the play hubs affects on facilitating social interactions. Community based unstructured play interventions may support play and promote a sense of community.

Influence of introducing a story stem in an interactive play context on maternal and their four-year-old children's use of mental state language.

Maternal and child mental state language is associated with improved socioemotional and cognitive child development. This study examined if introducing a story stem (a narrative playing out socioemotional conflicts) in a play situation facilitated maternal and child mental state language compared to a free-play (baseline) situation, and if mothers and children with low baseline mental state language profited more from the story stem situation. Participants were 101 four-year-old children and their mothers. Maternal and child mental state language correlated and providing the story stem increased both maternal and child mental state language. Providing a story stem increased mental state language more for mothers and children groups with lowest mental state language at baseline compared to a high mental state language group. The results indicate a validation of the use of story stems to increase maternal and child mental state language within a typical population.

Play With Me: Effects of a shared activities parenting intervention on parenting and relative reinforcing value of food.

This pilot randomized controlled trial evaluated impacts of a novel shared activities intervention designed to promote positive parent-child interactions, which may function as an alternative reinforcer to food. The 4-week, at-home Play With Me intervention combines didactic parenting videos and play kits with materials for parent-child activities to practice skills. Aims of the present study were to examine the intervention's acceptability and its effects on parenting and the relative reinforcing value (RRV) of food versus parent-child activity at post-intervention. Thirty-two parents of 4-to-5-year-old children at risk for obesity were randomly assigned to the intervention or a waitlist control group. The intervention was well-liked by parents and feasible. Intervention parents reported more parenting structure and demonstrated higher observed sensitive parenting than controls at post; the latter finding was driven by greater parent positive mood, warmth, positive reinforcement, and relationship quality, with large effect sizes. There were no effects on the RRV of food. Inconsistent with hypotheses, there were trends toward control group parents reporting more parenting satisfaction and efficacy at post. Possible explanations are discussed. Results suggest Play With Me shows promise as an effective and acceptable intervention to promote positive parenting. Further research is needed to examine these effects and their implications for socioemotional development and health in a larger, more diverse sample over a longer time frame.

Parental perceptions of neighborhood safety and preschool children's outdoor play: An exploration of sex and safety type differences.

Despite the growing evidence on the influence of neighborhood safety on physical activity, few studies have specifically focused on preschool-aged children and differentiated the various domains of neighborhood safety. This study investigates the relationship between parental perceptions of neighborhood safety and preschool children's time spent outdoors and explores potential sex differences in this relationship. This study analyzed nationally representative data from 1656 Korean children (848 boys and 808 girls) aged 3, 5, 6 years collected over the course of three waves of the Panel Study on Korean Children (PSKC). Outdoor playtime was measured by maternal reports of the time their children spent playing outdoors on a typical weekday. Parental perceptions of neighborhood safety were assessed using two items that inquired about neighborhood safety in terms of crime and accidents, respectively. Fixed effects estimates revealed that parental perceptions of social safety were associated with an increase in children's outdoor physical activity (b = 3.778, p < 0.05), whereas perceptions of physical safety were not. Sex-stratified models showed that the association between parental perceptions of social safety and children's outdoor play was driven largely by boys (b = 8.498, p < 0.001), with no association observed for girls. The findings of this study underscore the importance of addressing the social safety of neighborhood environments to promote outdoor play in preschool children. Moreover, sex differences should be considered when developing interventions aimed at increasing physical activity among young children.

Play behavior: Why do adults play less than juveniles?

Play behavior is typically most frequent in immature animals and then declines by adulthood. New research reveals a brain mechanism that may underlie this age-related decline in play.

Quality of parent-child interaction in underserved migrant areas in Kyrgyz Republic: a pilot study.

BACKGROUND: After societal change in Kyrgyz Republic, the pattern of parent-child interaction in the changing parenting culture is an important factor influencing the positive development of Kyrgyz children. This study is aim to assess the quality of parent-child interactions in Kyrgyzstan by analyzing the interaction patterns and playfulness of children during free play at home. METHODS: This was a descriptive pilot study using video-recorded observations to explore parent-child interactions. The Dyadic Parent-Child Interaction Coding System and a playfulness instrument were used to assess the patterns and quality of the interaction. A total of 20 dyads of children aged 24 to 58 months and their parents, living in migrant communities of Kyrgyzstan, participated in this study. RESULTS: Major parent-child interaction patterns included 731 turns of parent-child dyads during 1040 episodes. Verbal as well as nonverbal behaviors of parents were observed while interacting with their children. Parents used direct and indirect commands most frequently, while praise was used the least in interactions. Children frequently used compliance as well as noncompliance when they interacted with their parents. Children had low playfulness scores while interacting with their parents. Cognitive spontaneity was the component with the lowest score among all subdomains of playfulness. CONCLUSION: Future studies are recommended to develop strategies to facilitate parents' active interaction with their children, promote children's playfulness, and improve the quality of their mutual interaction.

Gender-specific play behavior in relation to autistic traits and behavioral difficulties at the age of seven in the SELMA study.

BACKGROUND: Childhood gender nonconformity is related to psychological distress and behavioral difficulties. Similarly, there is evidence for a link between gender nonconformity, or gender dysphoria in some studies, and autism spectrum disorder and related traits. Our knowledge on those associations mostly originates from clinical populations, which might lead to overestimation. Thus, this study aimed to assess associations between gender nonconformity and behavioral difficulties in a population-based study. METHODS: In the Swedish Environmental Longitudinal, Mother and Child, Asthma and Allergy (SELMA) study, cross-sectional associations between gender-specific play behavior and behavioral outcomes and autistic traits were investigated among 718 children at 7-years of age. Play behavior was measured using the Preschool Activities Inventory; behavioral outcomes and autistic traits were measured with the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire and the Social Responsiveness Scale, respectively. Linear and logistic regression analyses were performed. RESULTS: Higher composite play behavior scores (indicating either increased masculine or decreased feminine play behavior) were associated with increased autistic trait scores in girls (ß = 0.13; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.00, 0.26). Furthermore, higher composite scores were shown to be associated with behavioral difficulties in both girls (ß = 0.11; 95% CI = 0.04, 0.18) and boys (ß = 0.10; 95% CI = 0.02, 0.19). Additionally, higher feminine scores were related with increased problems in peer relationships in boys (ß = 0.04; 95% CI = 0.00, 0.07). CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests a link between gender nonconforming play behavior and autistic traits as well as behavioral difficulties among children in a non-clinical population, which calls attention to the necessity of supporting children with gender nonconformity from early ages.

Centring children's lived experiences in understanding the importance of play in hospitals.

BACKGROUND: Children have a right to participate in matters affecting their lives. With increasing regularity, children's perspectives are being sought regarding their health and health care experiences. Though there is evidence that children find play to be one of the 'best' aspects of hospitalisation, studies rarely focus on children's perspectives on play in hospital. METHODS: This qualitative study explored children's lived experiences of play during hospitalisation. Over five months, ethnographic observations were conducted on a paediatric oncology ward as well as interviews with 16 children ages 3-13 years. RESULTS: Using interpretative phenomenological analysis, children's expressions and experiences illuminated three key points: safety and comfort are integral to children feeling able to play in hospital; the value and efficacy of play is decided by children; and that play is a way for patients to be (and be treated as) children first. CONCLUSION: Hospitals can only be child-friendly if children find them friendly. Listening to and integrating children's perspectives in the discourse around the importance of play in hospital is essential for respecting children's rights and delivering person-centred paediatric healthcare.

Mobile Media Content Exposure and Toddlers' Responses to Attention Prompts and Behavioral Requests.

Importance: With personalized touch-screen tablets, young children can choose content and engage in play-like activities. However, tablets may also reduce shared engagement as the action of viewing or touching the screen is often not visible to nearby adults. This may impact communicative gazing and pointing, which is critical to the formation of shared awareness and in turn supports language development. Objective: To assess the association of tablet media content with toddlers' responses to joint attention prompts and behavioral requests. Design, Setting, and Participants: This cohort study took place at a behavioral research laboratory and included toddlers who were aged 18 to 32 months with neurotypical development who were recruited from a volunteer and community sample. Toddlers engaged with a real toy or 3 different types of tablet content (ie, viewing video of toy play, playing with a digital toy, or playing a commercial game) while an experimenter delivered joint attention prompts. Data were acquired from June 2021 November XX 2022, and data analysis occurred from January 2023 to May 2024. Main Outcomes and Measures: Main outcomes included child response to joint attention (number of prompts with joint attention response per number of prompts delivered) and child response to behavioral request (ie, the prompt on which the child responded to the behavioral request). Measures included crossed random effects, Wald tests, and likelihood ratio tests. Results: In this study, 63 toddlers were enrolled, and data from 62 were included (31 female [49%]; mean [SD] age, 26.1 [3.4] months; median [IQR] age, 25.0 [18.6-32.6] months). When toddlers were playing a commercial game on a tablet, they responded to fewer joint attention prompts (crossed random effects model, -0.15; 95% CI, -0.24 to -0.06 prompts) and male toddlers took longer to acknowledge a behavioral request (interaction of content and sex, -0.75; 95% CI, -1.36 to -0.17). The negative impact of the tablet game was larger as child age increased (τ = -2.30; 95% CI, -0.05 to 0; P = .03). Greater media use at home was associated with decreased responding to joint attention prompts during the tablet game (ρ = -0.47; P < .001), while better language skills were associated with more joint attention during play with a real toy (ρ = 0.31; P = .02). Conclusions and Relevance: In this cohort study, a touch-screen tablet game was associated with decreased joint attention among toddlers and they were less likely to respond to a behavioral request. In a laboratory setting, it was difficult for toddlers to engage in social-communicative interactions with adults when using a tablet media device.

Play partner preferences among groups of unfamiliar juvenile male rats.

Like many mammals, as juveniles, rats engage in play fighting, which in the laboratory is typically studied in dyads, and consequently, it is the researcher who determines a rat's play partner. In real-life conditions, a rat would have many partners with whom to play. In a previous study, we found that rats do prefer to play with some individuals more than others, and surprisingly, when given the choice, unfamiliar partners are preferred to familiar ones. In this study, we assessed partner choice when all the available partners are strangers. Eight groups of six unfamiliar juvenile male rats were observed for 10 min play trials. One of the six in each group was selected as the 'focal' rat and his play towards, and received by, the others were scored. Social networks revealed that five of the eight groups formed preferences, with preferred partners also engaging in more play with the focal rat. The mechanism by which these preferences were formed remains to be determined, but it seems that there are individual differences, potentially in the amount and style of play, that allow an individual to select the most suitable partner from a group of strangers.

"I would be so proud of you guys and myself:" Exploring guided play learning interactions among Black caregivers and their children within a Black history home learning intervention during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Existing literature on Black caregiver's interactions with their children has overwhelmingly focused on parenting deficits and interventions designed to "fix" Black families. In utilizing the BlackCreate framework (2023), this study explores how Black caregivers intentionally crafted learning spaces for their children within the context of a six month intervention. Brilliant Joy in a Box was a six-month intervention developed in partnership with a Black woman entrepreneur that delivered caregiver-child Black history home learning boxes to families during the COVID-19 pandemic with the goal of addressing the impacts of persistent historical educational inequities for Black youth, the disproportionate impact of the pandemic Black families, and requests from community members seeking additional programming during the winter months. In the current study, we analyzed videos of 77 families interacting during a guided play activity. We found that the learning spaces created by Black families focused on four subject matters and their domains: literacy, scientific curiosity, math, and identity. We also found that Black caregivers organically utilized guided play to promote joyful interaction and learning. Findings underscore the importance of educators and school staff learning from families in order to reimagine learning and design community based interventions.

Pubertal stress in male rats: Effects on juvenile play behavior and adult sexual partner preference.

Puberty is a period of brain organization impacting the expression of social and sexual behaviors. Here, we assessed the effects of an acute pubertal stressor (immune challenge) on the expression of juvenile play (short-term) and sexual partner preference (long-term) in male rats. Juvenile play was assessed over ten trials at postnatal days (PND) (31-40) with age- and sex-matched conspecifics, and at PND35 males received a single injection of lipopolysaccharide (LPS, 1.5 mg/kg i.p.) or saline. Then, sexual partner preference was assessed at PND 60, 64, and 68, in a three-compartment chamber with a sexually receptive female and a male as potential partners simultaneously. The results confirmed that a single injection of LPS during puberty induced sickness signs indicative of an immune challenge. However, juvenile play was not affected by LPS treatment during the following days (PND36-40), nor was sexual behavior and partner preference for females in adulthood. These findings highlight that, while other studies have shown that LPS-induced immunological stress during puberty affects behavior and neuroendocrine responses, it does not affect juvenile play and sexual behavior in male rats. This suggests a remarkable resilience of these behavioral systems for adaptation to stressful experiences mediated by immune challenges during critical periods of development. These behaviors, however, might be affected by other types of stress.

Math talk by mothers, fathers, and toddlers: Differences across materials and associations with children's math understanding.

Learning words for numbers, shapes, spatial relations, and magnitudes-"math talk"-relies on input from caregivers. Language interactions between caregivers and children are situated in activity contexts and likely affected by available materials. Here, we examined how play materials influence the math talk directed to and produced by young children. We video-recorded parents (mothers and fathers; English- and/or Spanish-speaking) and their 24- to 36-month-olds during play with four sets of materials, transcribed and coded types of parent and toddler math words/phrases, and assessed toddlers' understanding of number, shape, and spatial relations terms. Categories of math words varied by materials. Numeracy talk (e.g., "one," "two," "first," "second") was more frequent during interactions with a picture book and toy grocery shopping set than with a shape sorter or magnet board; the reverse held for spatial talk (e.g., "out," "bottom," "up," "circle"). Parent math talk predicted toddler math talk, and both parent and toddler math talk predicted toddlers' understanding of spatial and number words. Different materials provide unique opportunities for toddlers to learn abstract math words during interactions with caregivers, and such interactions support early math cognition.

Are Gender Identities and Gender Ideologies Associated with the Variety and Type of Owned Sex Toys? Evidence from a Large Italian Sample of Cisgender Individuals.

Research on the use of sex toys has been primarily performed from a medical perspective, while there is still limited research from a psychosocial perspective. To bridge this gap, in this study we examined whether some psychosocial variables might be linked to sex toy ownership in a sample of 3960 Italian (cisgender men and women) sex toy buyers. More specifically, we investigated the association between gender identities and ideologies and the variety and types of sex toys owned. Based on the data, we detected two dimensions underlying the ownership of sex toys: (1) orientation to owning kinky sex toys and (2) orientation to owning clit-oriented sex toys. Results showed that benevolent sexism and gender system justification were negatively correlated with owning clit-oriented toys. Moreover, strongly gender-identified participants owned a small variety of different toys and preferred toys that were designed to stimulate the vagina or clitoris over less commonly-used toys. No significant correlation between feminist identification and sex toy type owned was found when gender identification was taken into account. These results suggest that the owning of sex toys might be associated with traditional gender ideology and the strength of gender identification.

The JASPER (Joint Attention, Symbolic Play, Engagement and Regulation) Intervention in Down Syndrome: A pilot study.

BACKGROUND: Children with Down syndrome (DS) often need support building language, socialization, and regulation, yet few receive behavioral intervention for this. The Joint Attention, Symbolic Play, Engagement and Regulation (JASPER) intervention holds promise as a clinician-caregiver-mediated approach. AIMS: The aims of this pilot study were to (1) describe the behavioral phenotype of children with DS (2) quantify change in child engagement following JASPER receipt, (3) measure caregiver adoption of JASPER strategies, and (4) generate hypotheses and directions for future research. METHODS AND PROCEDURES: Sixteen toddlers with DS and their caregivers enrolled in the study. Dyads were randomly assigned to one of two conditions: immediate intervention or waitlist control. During the COVID-19 pandemic, intervention was delivered remotely. OUTCOMES AND RESULTS: Caregivers learned to implement JASPER strategies and pilot data suggest improvements in joint engagement and regulation during play. Case series data show individual heterogeneity of intervention response. Remote intervention delivery may be associated with greater participant retention. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: JASPER may be a viable treatment option to improve joint engagement and emotion regulation in young children with DS. Parents appear receptive to learning and implementing JASPER strategies at home. Remote JASPER delivery may improve participation in research or treatment programs.

Early environments and exploration in the preschool years.

A great deal of research has demonstrated how children's exploration is driven by opportunities for learning. However, less work has investigated how individual differences across children and their environmental contexts relate to patterns in playful exploration. We performed a "mega-analysis" in which we pooled preschool-aged children's play data from four past experiments in our lab (N = 278; M(age) = 56 months) and correlated play behaviors with age and socioeconomic status (median income, modal education in children's home zip codes). We found that, with age, children performed more unique actions during play. Additionally, children from lower SES areas explored more variably; the link between this play and tendencies to focus on pedagogically demonstrated features traded off differently than it did for higher SES children. This work lays critical groundwork for understanding exploration across developmental contexts.

Using retrospective reports to develop profiles of harmful versus playful teasing experiences.

INTRODUCTION: The current investigation's central goal was to elucidate the complex features of peer teasing episodes that individuals use to interpret teasing as harmful versus playful. METHOD: In 2022-2023, we used semistructured interviews to gather retrospective reports of K-12 peer teasing experiences from a sample of 27 students from a university in southern Ontario, Canada (18-25 years old, 63% female, 78% White). RESULTS: Content analysis revealed the multifaceted nature of teasing, with participants defining teasing as harmful, playful, or including elements of both harm and pleasure. Harmful teasing experiences often included content that was sensitive to the target, occurred between both friends and nonfriends, and often included a power differential with the teasing perpetrator having more power than the target. Targets recalled negative emotional responses, with behavioral responses to mitigate the situation and reduce further teasing. In contrast, playful teasing often occurred between friends or close friends, was often motivated by positive interpersonal motives (e.g., for encouragement), and had positive impacts on the relationship between perpetrator and target. However, despite benign intent, some playful teasing was marked by negative emotional responses and feelings of harm. CONCLUSIONS: Results have implications for uncovering the nuanced and complex nature of teasing, and provide a preliminary profile of harmful versus playful teasing interactions.

Playfulness in middle- and older age: testing associations with life satisfaction, character strengths, and flourishing.

OBJECTIVES: Playfulness describes individual differences in (re)framing situations in a way that they are experienced as interesting, intellectually stimulating, or entertaining. We extended the study of playfulness to groups of middle- and higher age and examined the relations of four facets of playfulness (Other-directed, Lighthearted, Intellectual, and Whimsical) to indicators of positive psychological functioning. METHOD: We collected self-report data from 210 participants aged between 50 and 98 years. RESULTS: The playfulness expressions in this age group were comparable to younger adults. We found that playfulness relates to life satisfaction, the PERMA domains of well-being, and character strengths with small-to-medium correlation effect sizes. The OLIW facets showed differential associations, with regression analyses revealing that particularly Other-directed is positively associated with positive psychological functioning. CONCLUSION: Our findings highlight the importance of playful relationships across the lifespan. We discuss the findings regarding the role of playfulness for healthy aging.