RESUMO
This commentary discusses the potential utility of research syntheses for evidence-based policy- and decision-making, examining the papers that comprise the special issue on modern meta-analytic methods. Evidence and data have the potential to play a critical role in the development of policies and in the administration of programs that meet the social and economic needs of children and families. Novel, innovative, and methodologically rigorous methods that allow for comprehensive and systematic research synthesis, such as those disseminated in this special issue, can help inform the work of the federal government and the prevention science field at large. Overall, the papers hold promise for strengthening the rigor of existing approaches, illustrate novel approaches, and demonstrate the utility of information that research syntheses can produce. Collectively, the studies in this special issue advance the available toolbox of methods that can be used to support evidence-based policy- and decision-making.
Assuntos
Política de Saúde , Formulação de Políticas , Humanos , Projetos de PesquisaRESUMO
Fathers are more than social accidents. Research has demonstrated that fathers matter to children's development. Despite noted progress, challenges remain on how best to conceptualize and assess fathering and father-child relationships. The current monograph is the result of an SRCD-sponsored meeting of fatherhood scholars brought together to discuss these challenges and make recommendations for best practices for incorporating fathers in studies on parenting and children's development. The first aim of this monograph was to provide a brief update on the current state of research on fathering and to lay out a developmental ecological systems perspective as a conceptual framework for understanding the different spaces fathers inhabit in their children's lives. Because there is wide variability in fathers' roles, the ecological systems perspective situates fathers, mothers, children, and other caregivers within an evolving network of interrelated social relationships in which children and their parents change over time and space (e.g., residence). The second aim was to present examples of empirical studies conducted by members of the international working group that highlighted different methods, data collection, and statistical analyses used to capture the variability in father-child relationships. The monograph ends with a commentary that elaborates on the ecological systems framework with a discussion of the broader macrosystem and social-contextual influences that impinge on fathers and their children. The collection of articles contributes to research on father-child relationships by advancing theory and presenting varied methods and analysis strategies that assist in understanding the father-child relationship and its impact on child development.
Assuntos
Desenvolvimento Infantil , Relações Pai-Filho , Pai/psicologia , Poder Familiar/psicologia , Criança , Humanos , PesquisaRESUMO
We examined the association between U.S.-born mothers' and fathers' intrusiveness at 24 months and children's sociability and sustained attention at prekindergarten in a sample of low-income, ethnic minority children (N = 74) enrolled in Early Head Start in the U.S. Event-based coding captured the frequency and intensity of parents' intrusive episodes with their children as well as the contingent affect of parents and children during each episode. Fathers and mothers did not differ in frequency of intrusive episodes; fathers were more intensely intrusive but exhibited more positive affect during intrusive episodes than mothers. Children exhibited more positive affect during intrusive exchanges with their fathers than with their mothers. Positive mother-child dyadic affect but not intrusive behaviors at 24 months were not related to sociability and sustained attention in prekindergarten. Moreover, positive mother-child dyadic affect buffered children from the negative effects of maternal intrusive behaviors on sociability.
RESUMO
Using data from a diverse sample of low-income families who participated in the Early Head Start Research Evaluation Project (n = 73), we explored the association between mothers' and fathers' playfulness with toddlers, toddler's affect during play, and children's language and emotion regulation at prekindergarten. There were two main findings. First, fathers' playfulness in toddlerhood was associated with children's vocabulary skills in prekindergarten whereas mothers' playfulness was related to children's emotion regulation. Cross-parental effects were found only for mothers. The association between mothers' playfulness and children's vocabulary and emotion regulation was strengthened when fathers engaged in more pretend play and when children were affectively positive during the play. These findings show that playfulness is an important source of variation in the vocabulary and emotion regulation of children growing up in low-income families. They also point to domain-specific ways that mothers and fathers promote children's regulatory and vocabulary skills, and highlight the importance of children's positive engagement in play.
Assuntos
Emoções , Pai/psicologia , Desenvolvimento da Linguagem , Mães/psicologia , Jogos e Brinquedos/psicologia , Desenvolvimento Infantil , Linguagem Infantil , Pré-Escolar , Relações Pai-Filho , Feminino , Humanos , Masculino , Relações Mãe-Filho , Pobreza , VocabulárioRESUMO
Using a sample (N = 5,200) drawn from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Birth Cohort, we examined Latino boys' developmental profiles and their early home experiences from 9 months to kindergarten entry in comparison to their peers-Latina girls and White boys. We also examined how children's early home experiences related to outcomes at kindergarten entry and whether these varied by gender and ethnicity. Controlling for socioeconomic indicators, the largest mean group differences were between Latino and White boys, beginning at 24 months and persisting at kindergarten entry. There were modest differences between Latino boys and Latina girls on some outcomes, with boys showing an early and persistent advantage in math and girls showing a persistent advantage in social skills. Household resources and maternal and paternal investments in literacy activities were the strongest predictors of children's preacademic skills at kindergarten entry. Our model did not vary by gender or ethnicity, suggesting that the ingredients for learning are the same for all children.
Assuntos
Desenvolvimento Infantil , Família/psicologia , Hispânico ou Latino/psicologia , Grupo Associado , Pré-Escolar , Cultura , Humanos , Lactente , Estudos Longitudinais , Masculino , Modelos Psicológicos , Poder Familiar/psicologia , Caracteres Sexuais , Fatores SocioeconômicosRESUMO
We review the existing literature on how parents prepare their children to navigate an increasingly diverse world. In particular, we focus much of our attention on the ethnic-racial socialization practices and beliefs of ethnic minority and majority groups, as this area of the field is currently the most expounded. We begin by exploring the current and future demographic characteristics of the United States to better contextualize research on social justice by developmental scientists. We then review the theoretical frameworks typically used to guide this body of research. Next we examine ethnic minority parents' ethnic-racial socialization practices and discuss their implications. We then consider ethnic majority parents' ethnic-racial socialization practices. Finally we address gaps in the current literature and offer directions for future research. Taken together, this small body of literature is critical to understanding how children are socialized about diversity.
Assuntos
Diversidade Cultural , Etnicidade , Grupos Minoritários , Poder Familiar , Socialização , Adolescente , Criança , Humanos , PaisRESUMO
Using data from a diverse sample of low-income African American and Latino mothers, fathers, and their young children who participated in Early Head Start (n = 61), the current study explored the association between parents' reading quality (i.e. metalingual talk) while reading with their 2-year-old children and their children's receptive vocabulary skills at pre-kindergarten. It further examined whether children's interest in reading mediated this association. There were three main findings. First, most mothers and fathers in our sample read relatively often to their children (a few times a week) and used some metalingual talk; fathers used more than mothers. Second, controlling for parental education, mothers' and fathers' early reading quality significantly predicted children's receptive vocabulary skills at pre-kindergarten. Third, children's interest in reading mediated the association between mothers' and fathers' reading quality and children's receptive vocabulary scores. These findings have important implications for programs aimed at fostering low-income children's vocabularies and suggest that both mothers and fathers need to be included in programs.
RESUMO
The current study explored the bidirectional association of children's individual characteristics, fathers' control strategies at 24 months, and children's regulatory skills at prekindergarten (pre-K). Using a sample of low-income, minority families with 2-year-olds from the Early Head Start Research and Evaluation Project (n = 71), we assessed the association between child gender and vocabulary skills, fathers' control strategies at 24 months (e.g., regulatory behavior and regulatory language), and children's sustained attention and emotion regulation at prekindergarten. There were three main findings. First, fathers overwhelmingly used commands (e.g., "Do that.") to promote compliance in their 24-month-old children. Second, children's vocabulary skills predicted fathers' regulatory behaviors during a father-child interaction whereas children's gender predicted fathers' regulatory language during an interaction. Third, controlling for maternal supportiveness, fathers' regulatory behaviors at 24 months predicted children's sustained attention at pre-K whereas fathers' regulatory language at 24 months predicted children's emotion regulation at pre-K. Our findings highlight the importance of examining paternal contributions to children's regulatory skills.
Assuntos
Relações Pai-Filho/etnologia , Pai/psicologia , Poder Familiar/etnologia , Pobreza , Negro ou Afro-Americano , Linguagem Infantil , Pré-Escolar , Feminino , Hispânico ou Latino , Humanos , Lactente , Masculino , Grupos Minoritários , Análise de Regressão , VocabulárioRESUMO
Using data from a racially and ethnically diverse sample of low-income fathers and their 2-year-old children who participated in the Early Head Start Research Evaluation Project (n = 80), the current study explored the association among paternal depressive symptoms and level of education, fathers' language to their children, and children's language skills. There were three main findings. First, there was large variability in the quality and quantity of language used during linguistic interactions between low-income fathers and their toddlers. Second, fathers with higher levels of education had children who spoke more (i.e. utterances) and had more diverse vocabularies (i.e. word types) than fathers with lower levels of education. However, fathers with more depressive symptoms had children with less grammatically complex language (i.e. smaller MLUs) than fathers with fewer depressive symptoms. Third, direct effects between fathers' depressive symptoms and level of education and children's language outcomes were partially mediated by fathers' quantity and quality of language.