Parental loneliness, perceptions of parenting, and psychosocial factors among parents having new children during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Individuals who had new children during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic became parents in challenging situations, starting from pregnancy and continuing to after birth. This study aimed to clarify the characteristics of parental loneliness, perceptions of parenting, and psychosocial factors among parents having new children during the COVID-19 pandemic. The participants comprised a first-child group (523 parents; those who had their first child) and a second-child group (621 parents; those who had their second or subsequent child). We used web-based questionnaires to explore parental loneliness, perceptions of parenting, and psychosocial factors (distress, parental burnout, well-being, marital satisfaction, and social isolation). Participants answered the questionnaires in November 2022, during the eighth COVID-19 wave in Japan. We compared the groups and subgroups according to parental sex and determined the relationship between variables. The parents in the first-child group felt lonelier than the parents in the second-child group (p < 0.05), and their loneliness was correlated with psychosocial factors. Significantly, more mothers in the second-child group answered "agree" to negative perceptions of parenting than mothers in the first-child group. Additionally, parenting difficulties were correlated with a negative perception of parenting and parental burnout in both groups. Furthermore, providing parental support may improve parenting and promote parents' health.

Changes in parental involvement and perceptions in parents of young children during the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional observational study in Japan.

This study aimed to clarify changes in parental involvement with their children and parental perceptions related to parenting in both fathers and mothers of young children during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. A cross-sectional observational design was used. Data were collected using a web-based questionnaire from 28 fathers and 115 mothers between October 1 and November 30, 2020. Parents answered questions regarding themselves, basic sociodemographic variables, perceived changes in involvement with their children, the presence or absence of abusive behavior (e.g., violence toward children), and parental perceptions related to parenting. Many parents indicated that they did not experience major changes in their involvement or perceptions compared to before the COVID-19 pandemic. Half of the fathers considered themselves to be in more physical contact or communication with their children; there was a significant difference between fathers and mothers regarding eating meals with their children (p = 0.00). Fathers felt tired due to parenting (35.7%) or a lack of free time (42.9%) during the COVID-19 pandemic. While significantly more mothers than fathers responded that their partners took care of their children (p = 0.03), significantly greater number of mothers than fathers also reported feeling overburdened (p = 0.00). Family support workers should help fathers maintain involvement with their young children without high stress levels and support mothers to reduce their heavy burden of parenting continuously. This would contribute to young childrens growth and development despite a public health crisis.

Social interaction facilitates word learning in preverbal infants: Word-object mapping and word segmentation.

In natural settings, infants learn spoken language with the aid of a caregiver who explicitly provides social signals. Although previous studies have demonstrated that young infants are sensitive to these signals that facilitate language development, the impact of real-life interactions on early word segmentation and word-object mapping remains elusive. We tested whether infants aged 5-6 months and 9-10 months could segment a word from continuous speech and acquire a word-object relation in an ecologically valid setting. In Experiment 1, infants were exposed to a live tutor, while in Experiment 2, another group of infants were exposed to a televised tutor. Results indicate that both younger and older infants were capable of segmenting a word and learning a word-object association only when the stimuli were derived from a live tutor in a natural manner, suggesting that real-life interaction enhances the learning of spoken words in preverbal infants.

Related visual impairment to mother-infant interaction and development in infants with bilateral retinoblastoma.

PURPOSE: This study was conducted with infants diagnosed with bilateral retinoblastoma (RB) and their mothers. It explored characteristics of the mother-infant interaction, the infants' developmental characteristics and related risk factors. METHOD: Cross-sectional statistical analysis was performed with 18 dyads of one-year-old infants with bilateral RB and their mothers. RESULTS: Using the Japanese Nursing Child Assessment Teaching Scale (JNCATS) results showed that infants with RB had significantly lower scores compared to normative Japanese scores on all of the infants' subscales and "Child's contingency" (p < 0.01). Five infants with visual impairment at high risk of developmental problems had a pass rate of 0% on six JNCATS items. There were positive correlations between Developmental quotients (DQ) and JNCATS score of "Responsiveness to caregiver" (ρ = 0.50, p < 0.05) and DQ and "Child's contingency" (ρ = 0.47, p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Infants with visual impairment were characterized by high likelihood of developmental delays and problematic behaviors; they tended not to turn their face or eyes toward their mothers, smile in response to their mothers' talking to them or the latter's changing body language or facial expressions, or react in a contingent manner in their interactions. These infant behaviors noted by their mothers shared similarities with developmental characteristics of children with visual impairments. These findings indicated a need to provide support promoting mother-infant interactions consistent with the developmental characteristics of RB infants with visual impairment.

Gender, age, and cultural differences in the Japanese version of the Infant-Toddler Social and Emotional Assessment.

This study aimed to clarify the characteristics of the Japanese version of the Infant-Toddler Social and Emotional Assessment (J-ITSEA), a parentreport questionnaire concerning social-emotional/behavioral problems and delays in competence in 1- to 3-year-old children. The differences in score between genders, ages, and between the J-ITSEA and the original Infant-Toddler Social and Emotional Assessment were examined. The data of 617 participants recruited from Saitama prefecture through stratified two-stage sampling were analyzed. The Cronbach's alpha ranged from 0.76 to 0.93. Gender differences emerged for some problems and all competence scales, with boys rated higher in the Externalizing problem domain and Activity/Impulsivity subscale and girls rated higher in the Internalizing problem domain, Inhibition to Novelty subscale, and all Competence scales. The Competence domain score increased across age groups. Compared with a normative sample in the US, participants in this study rated higher in Aggression/Defiance and Separation Distress, and rated lower in Peer Aggression and most of the Competence scales. The results indicate that the J-ITSEA scores should be interpreted in comparison with standard scores assigned for gender and 6-month age groups, and that specific criteria for the cut-off points for the J-ITSEA are required instead of those in the original questionnaire.

Effect of Early Intervention to Promote Mother - Infant Interaction and Maternal Sensitivity in Japan: A Parenting Support Program based on Infant Mental Health.

This study investigated the effects of the Japanese Early Promotion Program (JEPP), which is based on the Infant Mental Health (IMH) program. The JEPP aims to promote mother-infant interactions by enhancing the mother's ability to respond appropriately her child. Mothers in the JEPP group (n = 15) received support from IMH nurses in a pediatric clinic until their infants reached 12 months of age. The nurses provided positive feedback that emphasized strength of parenting, and assisted the mothers in understanding the construct of their infants. Mother-infant interactions and mother's mental health status were assessed at intake (1-3 months), and at 6, 9, and 12 months of infants' age. The JEPP group data were compared with cross-sectional data of the control group (n = 120). Although JEPP dyads were not found to be significantly different from the control group in general dyadic synchrony, both before and after intervention, JEPP mothers significantly improved their ability to understand their infant's cues and to respond promptly. In the JEPP group, unresponsiveness to infants was reduced in mothers, while infants showed reduced passiveness and enhanced responsiveness to the mother. Furthermore, the intervention reduced the mothers' parenting stress and negative emotions, thereby enhancing their self-esteem.

A Prospective Study of Factors Related to Mother-Infant Interaction in One-year-old Infants with Retinoblastoma.

This study aimed to clarify the relationships among developmental characteristics of retinoblastoma (RB) infants, mother-infant interaction, and mental health of mothers. Prospective studies were conducted twice with 13 dyads of mothers and infants who were between one (Time 1) and two years old (Time 2). Cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses were performed. The mean Developmental Quotients (DQ) significantly decreased between Time 1 and Time 2 (p < .05). Four (30.8%) infants showed DQ p < 85 at Time 1. They showed a DQ below the borderline at Time 2 and their developmental changes were different from RB infants in the normal DQ range. Infant Behavior Checklist-R (IBC-R) scores negatively correlated with DQ (p < .05). The mothers' Japanese Nursing Child Assessment Teaching Scale (JNCATS) scores were significantly higher than the normative mean. The IBC-R scores negatively correlated with mothers' JNCATS scores at Time 1 (ρ = -.66, p < .05) and positively correlated with the child domain scores on the Parenting Stress Index at Time 2 (ρ = .62, p < .05). Some RB infants showed a developmental delay. Mother-child interactions were negatively affected and mothers recognized their infants' problem. The support needs to be provided in early infancy.

Differences and similarities between father-infant interaction and mother-infant interaction.

The aim of this study was to compare father-infant interaction with mother-infant interaction, and explore differences and similarities between parents. Related factors for quality of father-infant interaction were also examined. Sixteen pairs of parents with infants aged 0 to 36 months were observed for play interaction between parents and their children. Results suggested no significant differences between parents, but children's interactions were significantly more contingent with fathers than mothers (p =.045). Significant correlations between parents were found in socialemotional growth fostering encouragement for children during interaction (ρ =.73, p =.001). Paternal depressive symptoms were significantly correlated to paternal sensitivity to child's cues (ρ =-.59, p =.017).

Preliminary early intervention study using Nursing Child Assessment Teaching Scale in Japan.

BACKGROUND: Mother-infant interactions have been acknowledged as one of the most important elements in measuring outcomes of parent support and infant mental health interventions. The present study was conducted to measure early intervention outcomes using the Nursing Child Assessment Teaching Scale (NCATS), and to identify factors that affected Japanese mother-infant interactions. METHODS: Healthy Japanese mother-infant dyads who had lower scores on the NCATS, indicating potential problems, were assigned to an intervention group, and compared with a control group who had higher scores on NCATS. Health-care professionals visited the intervention group dyads in their homes, and gave them positive feedback on their interactions, consultations on parenting, and health advice. The control group dyads had home visitation once every 6 months for assessment only. RESULTS: The home visitations started at 3 months of age and continued until 18 months. NCATS scores in both groups were significantly different at baseline but differences faded by the end, which suggests that the intervention promoted improved interactions in the intervention group. Two of five factors were identified as influencing mother-infant interactions: maternal age; and personal networks, and together they significantly explained 27-30% of NCATS variance. CONCLUSION: The results appear to support the validity of measuring Japanese mother-infant interactions with NCATS. This study is the first to measure the outcomes of early intervention on Japanese dyads' interactions using NCATS. Additional replication studies should be conducted elsewhere in Japan, and clinical practices for promoting mother-infant interactions should begin to assess their effectiveness with NCATS as an outcome measure.