Impact of family and caregiver factors on development and behaviours in maltreated young children.

Introduction: This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of developmental and emotional/ behavioural concerns in maltreated children and to examine the impact of adverse family/caregiver risk factors on these outcomes. Method: We analysed family demographic and baseline data of 132 maltreated children and their caregivers from a family support programme in Singapore. We examined the associations of 3 main risk factors (i.e., caregiver mental health, educational attainment, and family socio-economic status [SES]) with developmental/behavioural outcomes using multivariable logistic regression, controlling for caregiver relationship to the child. Caregiver mental health was assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire 9 (PHQ-9) and General Anxiety Disorder 7 (GAD-7) tools. Developmental/behavioural outcomes were assessed using the Ages and Stages Questionnaires (ASQ-3), ASQ-Social-Emotional (ASQ-SE), and the Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL). Results: The children ranged in age, from 2 months to 3 years 11 months (median age 1.7 years, interquartile range [IQR] 0.9-2.6). Among caregivers, 86 (65.2%) were biological mothers, 11 (8.3%) were biological fathers, and 35 (26.5%) were foster parents or extended family members. Low family SES was associated with communication concerns on the ASQ-3 (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 3.04, 95% CI 1.08-8.57, P=0.04). Caregiver mental health concerns were associated with increased behavioural concerns on the CBCL (AOR 6.54, 95% CI 1.83-23.33, P=0.004) and higher scores on the ASQ-SE (AOR 7.78, 95% CI 2.38-25.38, P=0.001). Conclusion: Maltreated children with caregivers experiencing mental health issues are more likely to have heightened emotional and behavioural concerns. Those from low SES families are also at increased risk of language delay, affecting their communication.

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.

Emotional and behavioural functioning in children with tyrosinaemia type 1.

INTRODUCTION: Tyrosinaemia type I is a rare hereditary metabolic disease caused by deficiency of the enzyme involved in the breakdown of tyrosine. Since the use of nitisinone in addition to diet in 1992, survival rates have increased significantly, but more and more socio-emotional problems have become apparent. The aim of the study was the assessment the relationship between variations in serum tyrosine and phenylalanine levels and measurements of socio-emotional functioning and determination of patients' IQs. THE AIM OF THE STUDY: was the assessment the relationship between variations in serum tyrosine and phenylalanine levels and measurements of socio-emotional functioning and determination of patients' IQs. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Twelve children were studied, from a single centre, born between 1994 and 2012, treated with nitisinone and a low-phenylalanine and -tyrosine diet. The psychological evaluation was conducted using the parent form of the Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL)/4-18. Additionally, the patients' IQs were measured using the Stanford-Binet 5 (SB5) Intelligence Scale. Statistical analyses were performed using PAWS software suite version 26. We found that phenylalanine variability over time correlated with measures of emotional and behavioural functioning. This relationship holds true for externalising behaviour, associated with the experience of maladjustment and aggression. Total score intellectual and cognitive function was within the norm for all patients. CONCLUSIONS: To maintain better quality of life for patients and their families in terms of emotional and behavioural functioning, it may be important to avoid spikes (significant fluctuations) in phenylalanine levels. Regular, detailed psychological evaluations are recommended to detect potential problems and implement interventions aimed at achieving the best possible individual development and realise the intellectual and behavioural potential, thereby improving the patient's and her family's quality of life.

The bidirectional relationship between peer relationships and bullying: Evidence from cross-lagged analyses among Chinese children.

BACKGROUND: In the digital age, bullying manifests in two distinct forms: traditional bullying and cyberbullying. Children's peer relationships are important predictors of bullying, and bullying in turn predicts peer relationships. However, few researchers have noted the bidirectional relationship between peer relationships and bullying. METHODS: The present study used a two-wave cross-lagged longitudinal design to fill this gap. The potential sex differences were also examined in this relationship. The sample consisted of 527 Chinese children aged 8 to 12 years (M = 9.69, SD = .96; 53.5% female). Participants completed peer nominations for peer acceptance, peer rejection and social dominance, as well as self-reports of traditional bullying and cyberbullying. RESULTS: Results showed that peer rejection at the first time point (T1) significantly and positively predicted traditional bullying perpetration, cyberbullying perpetration and cyberbullying victimization at the second time point (T2). Traditional bullying victimization at T1 significantly and negatively predicted peer acceptance and social dominance at T2. The results also revealed significant male and female differences. For instance, among boys, peer acceptance at T1 significantly and negatively predicted cyberbullying victimization at T2. In contrast, this relationship was not observed among girls. The present findings have important implications for understanding the cyclical relationship between peer relationships and bullying and providing practical guidance for improving peer relationships and reducing bullying.

Cortical thickness and childhood eating behaviors: differences according to sex and age, and relevance for eating disorders.

PURPOSE: This study investigated the association between childhood eating behaviors and cortical morphology, in relation to sex and age, in a community sample. METHODS: Neuroimaging data of 71 children (mean age = 9.9 ± 1.4 years; 39 boys/32 girls) were obtained from the Nathan Kline Institute-Rockland Sample. Emotional overeating, food fussiness, and emotional undereating were assessed using the Children's Eating Behavior Questionnaire. Cortical thickness was obtained at 81,924 vertices covering the entire cortex. Generalized Linear Mixed Models were used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: There was a significant effect of sex in the association between cortical thickness and emotional overeating (localized at the right postcentral and bilateral superior parietal gyri). Boys with more emotional overeating presented cortical thickening, whereas the opposite was observed in girls (p < 0.05). Different patterns of association were identified between food fussiness and cortical thickness (p < 0.05). The left rostral middle frontal gyrus displayed a positive correlation with food fussiness from 6 to 8 years, but a negative correlation from 12 to 14 years. Emotional undereating was associated with cortical thickening at the left precuneus, left middle temporal gyrus, and left insula (p < 0.05) with no effect of sex or age. CONCLUSIONS: Leveraging on a community sample, findings support distinct patterns of associations between eating behaviors and cortical thickness, depending on sex and age.

The legacy of harsh parenting: Enduring and sleeper effects on trajectories of externalizing and internalizing symptoms.

Guided by developmental models examining the legacy of childhood caregiving environments, we examined the longitudinal pattern of associations between harsh parenting and children's internalizing and externalizing symptoms across late childhood to late adolescence. Participants included 199 youth (48.7% female, 65.3% White, 32.2% Black, 2.5% biracial) and their mothers and fathers from a diverse range of socioeconomic backgrounds. The study utilized a multi-informant, longitudinal design including five waves of data (youths' mean ages were 9, 10, 11, 17, and 18 across waves). Harsh parenting at Age 9 predicted higher levels of (a) externalizing symptoms at Ages 11, 17, and 18 and (b) internalizing symptoms at Ages 17 and 18. Developmental sensitivity analyses revealed that the magnitude of the more distal association between early harsh parenting and later internalizing and externalizing symptoms was statistically stronger as compared to more proximal associations. Bidirectional analyses revealed that externalizing symptoms at Age 9 predicted harsh parenting at Ages 9, 10, 11, 17, and 18. Whereas links between harsh parenting and internalizing symptoms were consistent with a sleeper effects model, links between harsh parenting and externalizing symptoms provided some support for both enduring and sleeper effects models. Findings inform an understanding of youth developmental sensitivity to harsh parenting and the downstream consequences of harsh parenting. Results have important translational implications, including testing the long-term efficacy of therapeutic programs. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Facial impressions of niceness influence children's interpretations of peers' ambiguous behavior.

Children infer personality traits from faces when they are asked explicitly which face appears nice or mean. Less is known about how children use face-trait information implicitly to make behavioral evaluations. We used the Ambiguous Situations Protocol to explore how children use face-trait information to form interpretations of ambiguous situations when the behavior or intention of the target child was unclear. On each trial, children (N = 144, age range = 4-11.95 years; 74 girls, 67 boys, 3 gender not specified; 70% White, 10% other or mixed race, 5% Asian, 4% Black, 1% Indigenous, 9% not specified) viewed a child's face (previously rated high or low in niceness) before seeing the child's face embedded within an ambiguous scene (Scene Task) or hearing a vignette about a misbehavior done by that child (Misbehavior Task). Children described what was happening in each scene and indicated whether each misbehavior was done on purpose or by accident. Children also rated the behavior of each child and indicated whether the child would be a good friend. Facial niceness influenced children's interpretations of ambiguous behavior (Scene Task) by 4 years of age, and ambiguous intentions (Misbehavior Task) by 6 years. Our results suggest that the use of face-trait cues to form interpretations of ambiguous behavior emerges early in childhood, a bias that may lead to differential treatment for peers perceived with a high-nice face versus a low-nice face.

Advanced theory of mind and children's prosocial lie-telling in middle childhood: A training study.

Children's advanced theory of mind (AToM) is concurrently associated with their prosocial lie-telling. However, the causal link between AToM and prosocial lie-telling has not yet been demonstrated. To address this gap, the current study adopted a training paradigm and investigated the role of AToM in children's prosocial lie-telling in middle childhood. A total of 66 9- and 10-year-old children who did not demonstrate any prosocial lie-telling in a disappointment gift paradigm at the baseline were recruited and randomly assigned to either the experimental group (n = 32) or an active control group (n = 34). The experimental group underwent a conversation-based training program of four sessions. The results showed significantly greater gains in AToM at the posttest for the experimental group children compared with the control group children, controlling for family socioeconomic status, children's literacy score, working memory, and inhibition. More important, the experimental group children were more likely to tell prosocial lies than the control group, even after controlling for the pretest AToM and other covariates. However, the training effects faded at the 6-month follow-up test after the training's completion. These findings provide the first evidence for the causal role of AToM in the development of prosocial lie-telling in middle childhood. The fade-out effect is discussed in the context of educational interventions.

Facility dogs during police investigative interviews: Does it decrease children's reluctance?

BACKGROUND: Using facility dogs during police investigative interviews is a recent practice in Canada. While the common use of this intervention is decidedly an indicator of sympathy capital, its utility in this context is relatively unknown and no study has specifically evaluated the effect of using facility dogs on children's collaboration during investigative interviews. OBJECTIVE: This study compares police investigative interviews conducted in the presence of a service dog (n = 46) to those without (n = 45) to examine the effects of the presence of and interactions with a dog on children's reluctance. PARTICIPANTS, SETTING AND METHODS: The interviews were done with children aged 3 to 15 years and were coded for children's reluctance, their physical interactions with and comments about the dog, as well as for investigator's verbal support. RESULTS: No significant group differences were found in terms of children's overall reluctance (p = 0.700), though the children accompanied by a dog showed significantly more digression (p = 0.008). Among the children who were accompanied by a dog, those who interacted with the dog more frequently (p = 0.035) and who made more comments about the dog (p < 0.001) showed more signs of reluctance, even after accounting for child age and investigator support. No association was observed between children's reluctance and the total duration of dog-child physical interactions (p = 0.097). CONCLUSIONS: This study contributes to an enhanced understanding of the usefulness of facility dogs and the factors that influence children's reluctance during investigative interviews.

The longitudinal relationship between prenatal maternal cortisol and preschool internalising problems.

INTRO: Prenatal exposure to synthetic glucocorticoids may increase the risk of emotional symptoms in childhood partly by reducing fetal growth. We explored if physiological levels of prenatal maternal cortisol were associated with internalising problems in boys and girls and if this was mediated by birth weight. METHODS: Mother-child dyads from the prospective Odense Child Cohort (n=1162) were included if maternal serum cortisol (3rd trimester), offspring birth weight, and Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL) assessments in preschool age were available. Crude and adjusted associations between cortisol and internalising problems were determined in linear mixed models stratified by offspring sex. Covariates included parental psychiatric history, parity, maternal age, education, smoking during pregnancy, and gestational age at birth. In the presence of significant associations, we evaluated the potential mediating role of birth weight. RESULTS: The study sample included 601 boys and 561 girls and internalising problems were assessed at mean ages 2.3 (±0.4) and 5 (±0.5) years. In the crude analysis, cortisol was positively associated with internalising problems in boys (p-value 0.017) and in girls (p-value < 0.0001). In the adjusted analyses, there was no statistically significant association between cortisol and offspring internalising problems in boys or girls (all p-values > 0.15). There was no mediation by birth weight. DISCUSSION: Maternal serum cortisol was positively associated with offspring internalising problems in boys and girls, but there was no association following adjustment for potential confounders and no mediation through birth weight. Maternal third-trimester cortisol levels do not predict preschool offspring internalising problems in our study.

The effects of two types of neighborhood factors on trajectory of internalizing and externalizing symptoms from early childhood to adolescence.

Although a robust body of previous empirical studies investigated the long-term trend of child behavior problems, limited research discussed the influences of various types of neighborhood factors on such trajectory (e.g., neighborhood structural characteristics and collective efficacy). Using a nationally representative longitudinal dataset the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (FFCWS), with six waves from 1998 to 2017, this study captures the longitudinal effects of two types of early childhood neighborhood factors on the co-development of internalizing and externalizing symptoms. Data was collected at the focal child's age 3, age 5, age 9, age 15 (N = 2,385), and the parallel-process growth curve models were applied. Results suggest that the trajectories of both internalization and externalizing symptoms showed U-shape and bidirectional relationships among internalizing and externalizing problems. The long-term effects of neighborhood social cohesion and economic disadvantages were significantly associated with children's internalizing and externalizing symptoms. The implication of this study was further discussed.

Parental verbal communication and modeling behavior during mealtimes shape offspring eating behavior - A systematic review with a focus on clinical implications for eating disorders.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this review is to provide an overview of parental communication patterns during mealtimes, with a special emphasis being placed on the differences between families with and without a history of eating disorders. METHODS: The systematic review was conducted according to the PRISMA statement. A systematic literature search was carried out in PubMed, PubPsych and PsycINFO and the results were assessed for eligibility by two independent raters using the PICOS criteria. Only studies that included a mealtime observation were considered suitable for analysis of both explicit and implicit parental communication. RESULTS: The results of the review suggest that mothers communicate more, with more complexity, and with a greater variety of words with their children during mealtimes compared to fathers. The intention and type of communication is diverse and heterogeneous. In general, parents often tried to encourage their children to eat. Verbal modeling and co-eating appeared to be common behaviors. Mothers with a history of eating disorders expressed more negative emotions during eating than mothers without eating disorders. Findings regarding the use of positive comments and controlling speech are contradicting. DISCUSSION: The review outlines major fields of parent-child communication and modeling behavior around family meals which might be relevant to investigate and integrate into models of intergenerational transmission of eating behavior and disordered eating.

Comparison of synchronous reinforcement and accumulated reinforcement for increasing on-task behavior in preschoolers.

In synchronous-reinforcement schedules, the duration of behavior directly controls the duration of reinforcement on a moment-to-moment basis. We replicated and extended Diaz de Villegas et al. (2020) by comparing the effects of synchronous reinforcement with two accumulated-reinforcement schedules for increasing on-task behavior for seven preschoolers. One accumulated schedule was the same as the one used in Diaz de Villegas et al. and did not include tokens, whereas the other accumulated schedule included the delivery of tokens within session. Furthermore, we assessed preference for the three reinforcement schedules. The results showed that synchronous reinforcement was effective for increasing on-task behavior for all seven participants. Furthermore, it was most effective for increasing on-task behavior for three out of seven participants and preferred by all participants. For some participants, other schedules were also similarly effective. The results are discussed with respect to implications for application.

Academic and behavior combined support: A single-case practice-based replication study.

The purpose of this research was to conduct a practice-based replication of Academic and Behavior Combined Support (ABC Support), a previously developed and experimentally evaluated supplemental intervention that merges a combined focus on reading fluency and academic engagement. In the present study, a school-based interventionist and data collector had access to implementation resources online and participated in virtual training and coaching. Four Grade 2 students received the ABC Support intervention for 6 weeks in their school. Students' oral fluency on training and non-training reading passages, as well as occurrence of engagement and disruptive behaviors during universal reading instruction, were measured repeatedly across baseline, intervention, and follow-up phases in a multiple-baseline design. In concert with prior empirical findings on ABC Support, analyses revealed improvement from baseline to intervention for both reading and behavior outcomes, as well as from baseline to follow-up assessments. Empirical contributions of the study are offered within the context of replication research and an implementation science perspective. We also emphasize the importance of telecommunication for practice-based research evaluation of interventions.

Maternal concern and perception about child overweight risk, maternal feeding practices, and child eating behaviors: A cross-sectional study.

Abundant efforts have been directed to understand the global obesity epidemic and related obesogenic behaviors. However, the relationships of maternal concern and perception about child weight with child eating behaviors in Saudi Arabia have not been investigated. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the associations of maternal concern and perception about child overweight risk with maternal feeding practices and child eating behaviors among mothers and their children in Saudi Arabia. Mothers of 115 children aged 3-5 years old were recruited from eight preschools. Child eating behaviors (enjoyment of food, responsiveness to foods, food fussiness, satiety responsiveness, and slowness in eating) and maternal feeding practices (restriction, monitoring, and using food as a reward), maternal concern about child weight, and maternal perception about child overweight risk were assessed using validated questionnaires. Multiple linear regression models, adjusted for maternal body mass index (BMI) and child's BMI-z score and sex, were tested to examine the independent associations of maternal concern and perception about child overweight risk with child eating behaviors and maternal feeding practices. Maternal concern about child weight was positively associated with food enjoyment in children (B = 0.14 [95% confidence intervals = 0.02,0.27]) and responsiveness to food (B = 0.16 [0.03,0.29]), whereas a negative association with child food fussiness was observed (B = -0.19 [-0.33, -0.04]). Maternal perception about child overweight risk and child slowness in eating were negatively associated (B = -0.72 [-0.16 to -0.28]). Maternal concern and perception about child overweight risk were not associated with maternal feeding practices. In conclusion, maternal concern and perception about child overweight risk were found to be associated with food approach eating behavior traits but not with maternal feeding practices. Mothers who are concerned about child weight or perceive their children as overweight may need guidance and support to promote healthy eating behaviors among their children. Future cross-cultural studies are needed to understand the underlying mechanisms for the influence of maternal concern and perception about child overweight risk on maternal feeding practices, child eating behaviors, and weight status of children.

Breastfeeding and behavioral problems in five-year-old Japanese children: The Kyushu Okinawa Maternal and Child Health Study.

PURPOSE: This prebirth cohort study examined the relationship between breastfeeding duration and behavioral problems in five-year-old Japanese children. METHODS: Study subjects were 1198 mother-child pairs. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire. Emotional, conduct, hyperactivity, and peer problems and low prosocial behavior were assessed using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). RESULTS: Neither exclusive breastfeeding duration nor breastfeeding duration regardless of exclusivity was significantly associated with childhood emotional, conduct, hyperactivity, or peer problems or low prosocial behavior. In children with older siblings only, ≥ 4 months of exclusive breastfeeding was significantly inversely associated with hyperactivity problems (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 0.57, 95 % confidence interval [CI]: 0.31-0.99). In children without older siblings, ≥ 4 months of exclusive breastfeeding was inversely significantly associated with low prosocial behavior (adjusted OR = 0.54, 95 % CI: 0.30-0.93). No interactions were observed between exclusive breastfeeding duration and the presence of older siblings regarding the two outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: No associations were found between breastfeeding duration and any of the outcomes based on the SDQ. Exclusive breastfeeding for ≥ 4 months may be inversely associated with hyperactivity problems in children with older siblings and with low prosocial behavior in children without older siblings.

The relationship between video games and social-emotional delay in Chinese rural preschoolers: A comparison of five types of media video games and social-emotional delay.

BACKGROUND: Recent studies have revealed a negative relationship between children's digital media use and social-emotional development. However, few studies distinguish between different digital devices and the different functions they provide that may lead to different outcomes. METHODS: This study explored the relationship between young children's time spent on various digital devices and their social-emotional delay based on a survey of 1182 preschoolers (3 to 6 years old) in rural China. Children's social-emotional delay was assessed through a validated screening tool (ASQ-SE II). RESULTS: Children's time spent on television, computers, tablets, or smartphones was not associated with their social-emotional delay. However, their risk of social-emotional delay increased as their time spent on game consoles increased. This relationship was reflected in five of the seven behavioural areas of children's social-emotional development (i.e., self-regulation, compliance, affect, social communications, and interactions with people). Moreover, it did not vary between children with different socioeconomic statuses. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests a possible relationship between children's social-emotional delay and video games, which might need to be paid more attention to than other media types.

Impact of parent child interaction therapy on child eating behaviors.

BACKGROUND: Picky eating commonly co-occurs with disruptive behaviors in young children. While feeding interventions exist, it remains unknown whether unmodified behavioral parent training (BPT) improves maladaptive child eating. As coercive feeding practices may exacerbate picky eating, BPT could ameliorate associated behaviors by increasing authoritative parenting. METHODS: Caregiver-child dyads (N = 194, ages 2-8) received 18 weeks of Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT). Caregivers completed the Behavioral Pediatrics Feeding Assessment Scale (BPFAS) at pre-, mid-, and post-treatment. The BPFAS overall picky eating frequency and number of problems was examined, as well as the subscale of mealtime misbehaviors, and overall caregiver feeding practices. RESULTS: From pre-to post-treatment, reductions occurred in frequency/problems scales across overall BPFAS child behaviors. Mealtime misbehaviors significantly declined at all checkpoints - early skill acquisition may drive this early change, whereas changes in frequency/problem scales occurred after mid-treatment, suggesting later skill acquisition may be driving these changes. On the coercive caregiver feeding subscale, multivariate regression identified a significant race by time interaction (p = .02) - multiracial caregivers improved while others showed no difference. CONCLUSION: Standard PCIT, not adapted for feeding concerns, decreased maladaptive child eating behaviors across all caregivers and coercive feeding practices in multiracial caregivers. Authoritative parenting principles may generalize to eating contexts for certain cultural groups. PCIT shows promise as an early upstream intervention potentially changing trajectories without needed feeding content modifications. Assessment of long-term maintenance is warranted. Coupling with nutrition education could optimize impact.

Approach-avoidance tendencies in proactive and reactive aggression.

Aggressive behaviors have been related to approach/avoidance tendencies. In our current study, we investigated whether approach/avoidance tendencies for angry versus fearful emotional expressions were differentially predictive of children's reactive and proactive aggression. A total of 116 children (58 girls, Mage = 10.90, standard deviation SDage = 0.98) completed an approach/avoidance task (AAT) and a stimulus-response compatibility task (SRCT), both measuring the extent to which they tended to approach or avoid angry and fearful facial expressions relative to neutral facial expressions. Children also completed a self-report scale of reactive and proactive aggression. Although none of the approach/avoidance tendency scores correlated significantly with either of the aggression scores, stronger approach tendencies for angry faces and stronger avoidance tendencies for fearful faces in the AAT predicted more reactive aggression. Similar yet nonsignificant results were found for proactive aggression, but no effects were replicated in the SRCT. Our results thus invite the conclusion that reactive aggression is characterized by a tendency to approach angry faces and a tendency to avoid fearful faces. However, the poor discrimination between both types of aggression as well as the lack of convergence between the results of our two measures of approach/avoidance tendencies indicates that further research is needed to establish the role of approach/avoidance tendencies for emotional faces as markers for childhood aggression.

A longitudinal study of child adjustment during the COVID-19 pandemic: the protective role of the parent-child relationship in middle childhood.

This longitudinal study assessed how parent-child relationship quality during the first COVID-19 lockdown was related to changes in internalizing, externalizing, and sleep problems during the first months of the pandemic: during lockdown, partial deconfinement, and total deconfinement. Participants included 167 children (9-12 year) and their parents recruited in the province of Quebec, Canada. Child behavior problems decreased between lockdown and the two deconfinement assessments, but more sleep and behavior problems were associated with lower levels of relationship quality (more conflict, less closeness, and more insecure attachment). Significant interaction effects showed that changes in externalizing and sleep problems varied as a function of parent-child relationship. Results support the critical importance of the parent-child relationship with regard to child adjustment in middle childhood in times of crisis such as a pandemic. They also highlight resilience in children aged 9 to 12, with a decrease in problems over time.