Exploring pathways linking early childhood adverse experiences to reduced preadolescent school engagement.

BACKGROUND: Cross-sectional studies link adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) with school disengagement, contributing to chronic absenteeism and underachievement. OBJECTIVE: This prospective longitudinal study explored malleable mediators that might account for the developmental progression from early childhood ACEs to preadolescent school disengagement. Negative cascades were tested that explored student-teacher relationship quality and child behavior problems (internalizing and externalizing) as potential mediators. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: 556 children were recruited from Head Start preschool classrooms (Mage = 4.67 years old, SD = 0.32; 51% female; 58% European American, 25% African American, 19% Latinx) at which time parents reported on ACEs. METHODS: Children were followed longitudinally; kindergarten and third grade teachers rated student-teacher relationship quality and classroom behavior problems. Students described their school engagement (i.e., academic involvement, school bonding, and teacher affiliation) in fifth grade as they prepared for the transition into middle school. RESULTS: Path models documented a mediated cascade linking early childhood ACES through poor kindergarten student-teacher relationship quality to elevated third grade internalizing problems (mediation path ß = 0.018, SE = 0.009, p < 0.05) which, in turn, led to reduced fifth-grade school engagement (mediation path ß = 0.027, SE = 0.014, p = 0.05). Early childhood ACEs also predicted elevated externalizing problems in elementary school, but without mediation by student-teacher relationship quality or link to fifth-grade school engagement. CONCLUSION: Results are discussed in light of understanding developmental processes that link early ACEs with school difficulties and informing the design of preventive interventions for children at risk.

How a Preschool Parent Intervention Produced Later Benefits: A Longitudinal Mediation Analysis.

Preschool parent interventions may produce downstream benefits if initial intervention gains are sustained and improve later socialization experiences. This study explored associations between initial effects of the REDI (Research-based Developmentally Informed) Parent program and later benefits. A randomized trial involving 200 Head Start children (55% European-American, 26% African American, 19% Latino, 56% male, Mage = 4.45 years) produced kindergarten gains in parenting and child skills. Four years later, sustained effects were evident in areas of academic performance and social-emotional competence at school and new benefits emerged at home. Initial gains in child academic and social-emotional domains mediated sustained gains within the same domains. In addition, initial gains in parent-child conversations, parent academic expectations, and child social-emotional skills mediated later reductions in parenting stress and child problems at home. Parent-focused preschool interventions may not only promote sustained improvements in child school adjustment but may also foster better family functioning over time.

Maternal Responsiveness Protects Exuberant Toddlers from Experiencing Behavior Problems in Kindergarten.

RESEARCH FINDINGS: Exuberant temperament, characterized by high approach and positive affect, is linked to socioemotional outcomes including risk for externalizing symptoms across development. Externalizing problems interfere with children's school readiness and lead to disruptive behavior in the classroom. While some moderating factors help identify which exuberant children are at risk and in which contexts they are at risk, few studies have identified early moderators that protect against maladjustment when children enter school. In the current study, we examined exuberant temperament in 124 toddlers and classroom behavior problems reported by kindergarten teachers. We also assessed the impact of maternal responsiveness at 24 months on the relation between exuberance and classroom behavior problems. As hypothesized, we found that higher exuberance predicted more behavior problems. Additionally, maternal responsiveness moderated this association such that high responsiveness protected exuberant children from classroom behavior problems. PRACTICE OR POLICY: These results expand our understanding of socioemotional risks for exuberant children and how these risks influence school readiness. We also find that maternal responsiveness during toddlerhood mitigates these risks, and our findings suggest that interventions for exuberant children at risk for behavior problems or poor school readiness should target parental responsiveness when children are toddlers.