Applying Socio-Emotional Information Processing theory to explain child abuse risk: Emerging patterns from the COVID-19 pandemic.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic exerted profound effects on parents, which may translate into elevated child abuse risk. Prior literature demonstrates that Social Information Processing theory is a useful framework for understanding the cognitive processes that can contribute to parental abuse risk, but the model has not adequately integrated affective processes that may coincide with such cognitions. OBJECTIVE: Given parents experienced intense emotions during the pandemic, the current study sought to examine how socio-emotional processes might account for abuse risk during the pandemic (perceived pandemic-related increases in harsh parenting, reported physical and psychological aggression, and child abuse potential). PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS: Using two groups of mothers participating in online studies, the combined sample of 304 mothers reported on their abuse risk and cognitive and anger processes. RESULTS: Greater approval of physical discipline and weaker anger regulation abilities were directly or indirectly related to measures of abuse risk during the pandemic, with maternal justification to use parent-child aggression to ensure obedience consistently relating to all indicators of abuse risk during the pandemic. CONCLUSIONS: Socio-emotional processes that include anger appear particularly relevant during the heightened period of strain induced by the pandemic. By studying multiple factors simultaneously, the current findings can inform child abuse prevention efforts.

Gender Inequality in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: Associations with Parental Physical Abuse and Moderation by Child Gender.

Gender inequality perpetuates women's economic insecurity and a culture of violence. Parental distress caused by economic pressure may increase violence against children. High levels of gender inequality and interpersonal violence may contribute to higher levels of physical abuse. Using an ecological perspective, this study examines the association of country-level gender inequality and household-level parental physical abuse, and the moderating role of child gender in this association in low- and middle-income countries. We used data on over 420,000 households from the UNICEF Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys and country-level indicators from the United Nations Development Program Human Development data. We employed multilevel logistic regression to examine the association between gender inequality with the log-odds of physical abuse after accounting for country- and individual-level covariates. In order to more fully explore our results, we calculated predicted probabilities of abuse for several scenarios. The results indicated that higher levels of gender inequality were associated with higher probabilities of physical abuse. This association was stronger for female children than for male children. The probabilities of abuse by child gender were indistinguishable, although rates of physical abuse converged as gender inequality increased, at a statistically marginal level. These findings indicate that macro-level interventions that reduce gender inequality are necessary to prevent and reduce child physical abuse.

Prevalence, increase and predictors of family violence during the COVID-19 pandemic, using modern machine learning approaches.

Background: We are facing an ongoing pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which is causing detrimental effects on mental health, including disturbing consequences on child maltreatment and intimate partner violence. Methods: We sought to identify predictors of child maltreatment and intimate partner violence from 380 participants (mean age 36.67 ± 10.61, 63.2% male; Time 3: June 2020) using modern machine learning analysis (random forest and SHAP values). We predicted that COVID-related factors (such as days in lockdown), parents' psychological distress during the pandemic (anxiety, depression), their personality traits, and their intimate partner relationship will be key contributors to child maltreatment. We also examined if there is an increase in family violence during the pandemic by using an additional cohort at two time points (Time 1: March 2020, N = 434; mean age 35.67 ± 9.85, 41.69% male; and Time 2: April 2020, N = 515; mean age 35.3 ± 9.5, 34.33%). Results: Feature importance analysis revealed that parents' affective empathy, psychological well-being, outdoor activities with children as well as a reduction in physical fights between partners are strong predictors of a reduced risk of child maltreatment. We also found a significant increase in physical punishment (Time 3: 66.26%) toward children, as well as in physical (Time 3: 36.24%) and verbal fights (Time 3: 41.08%) among partners between different times. Conclusion: Using modernized predictive algorithms, we present a spectrum of features that can have influential weight on prediction of child maltreatment. Increasing awareness about family violence consequences and promoting parenting programs centered around mental health are imperative.

Working memory development from early childhood to adolescence using two nationally representative samples.

We leveraged nationally representative data from the Panel study of Income Dynamics-Child Development Supplement (N = 3,562) and the Early Childhood Longitudinal study (N = 18,174), to chart the development of working memory, indexed via verbal forward and backward digit span task performance, from 3 to 19 years of age. Results revealed nonlinear growth patterns for forward and backward digit span tasks, with the most rapid growth occurring during childhood followed by a brief accelerated period of growth during early adolescence. We also found similar developmental trajectories on digit span task performance for males and females across the U.S. population. Together, this study highlights the relative importance of the childhood period for working memory development and provides researchers with a reference against which to compare the developmental changes of working memory in individual studies. From a practical perspective, clinicians and educators can also use this information to understand important periods of working memory growth using national developmental trends. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Associations of food insecurity and material social support with parent and child mental health during COVID-19.

The rise of mental health problems during COVID-19 has been called a national crisis. Parents and caregivers reported parenting stress, anxiety, and depression, which may be exacerbated by economic insecurity. This study used longitudinal data to examine the association of food insecurity and material social support to subsequent parent and child mental health outcomes in the early weeks of COVID-19. Data were collected from a national convenience sample of U.S. parents (N = 359) at two time points: April 14, 2020 (T1) and April 30, 2020 (T2). Data were analyzed using multivariate linear and logistic regression analyses. Most of the sample were mothers (67.5%) and identified as White (69.6%). Among parents for whom services were applicable, over half (51.4%) were unable to receive free and reduced-cost school-based lunch. Food insecurity at T1 was significantly associated with higher odds of parental anxiety (OR = 1.52, p <.001) and depression (OR = 1.63, p <.001), as well as increased parenting stress (ß = 0.16, p =.008) and parental report of child anxiety (ß = 0.15, p =.014). Conversely, material social support was significantly associated with lower odds of parental anxiety (OR = 0.90, p =.014) and depression (OR = 0.85, p <.001), as well as lower levels of parenting stress (ß = -0.20, p =.001) and parental report of child anxiety (ß = -0.13, p =.028). Results suggest that household food insecurity may place parents and children at greater risk for mental health problems during COVID-19. However, access to tangible resources that offer material or financial support may be protective for both parent and child mental health. Study results suggest that policy interventions are needed to support the economic wellbeing of families during COVID-19.

The association between spanking and physical abuse of young children in 56 low- and middle-income countries.

BACKGROUND: Nearly one third of children under five in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) experience spanking. Studies from North America suggest that spanking is associated with heightened risk of physical abuse. However, the link between spanking and physical abuse in the international context remains understudied. OBJECTIVE: To examine the association between caregivers' spanking and physical abuse of young children in LMICs, and to estimate the extent to which physical abuse might be reduced if spanking were eliminated. PARTICIPANTS: We used nationally representative data from 156,166 1- to 4-year-old children in 56 LMICs from the fourth and fifth rounds of UNICEF Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys. METHODS: A nationally weighted multilevel logistic regression model examined the association between spanking and physical abuse. We calculated predicted probabilities of physical abuse, which we present using natural frequencies. RESULTS: Spanking was associated with higher odds of physical abuse (OR = 5.74, p < .001). The predicted probability of physical abuse decreased by 14% comparing children who were spanked (22%) and who were not spanked (8%). When our estimates were translated to a hypothetical sample of 100 children using a natural frequency approach, 32 children were spanked; of those, seven experienced physical abuse. The elimination of spanking would result in four fewer children who were exposed to physical abuse. In relation to the population of abused children, estimates suggest that physical abuse could reduce by up to 33% if spanking were eliminated. CONCLUSIONS: Results support the UN Sustainable Development Goals Target 16.2 that calls for eliminating all forms of violence against children. Child welfare advocates should discourage caregivers from using spanking, in order to prevent physical abuse.

Patterns of caregiver aggressive and nonaggressive discipline toward young children in low- and middle-income countries: A latent class approach.

BACKGROUND: Caregivers use a variety of disciplinary methods to respond to undesired child behavior. Many caregivers use nonaggressive forms of discipline, such as verbal reasoning and redirection. Some caregivers use aggressive forms of discipline, such as spanking and yelling. However, most caregivers use a combination of aggressive and nonaggressive discipline. To date, a disproportionately small number of caregiver discipline studies are conducted in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), and few studies in low-resource contexts examine aggressive and nonaggressive behaviors simultaneously. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to elucidate caregiver patterns of 11 disciplinary behaviors used in LMICs, and examine how these patterns relate to child outcomes and household characteristics. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: Data came from the fourth and fifth rounds of UNICEF Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS) distributed between 2009 and 2017 (N = 218,824 respondents across 63 countries). Focal children were 3-4 years old. METHODS: Patterns of disciplinary behaviors were estimated using a multilevel latent class analysis (LCA). Multinomial regression analyses examined associations of disciplinary patterns with caregiver-reported child outcomes and household characteristics. RESULTS: The LCA suggested caregiver discipline fell into three overall patterns: high behavioral control, moderate behavior control, and lower behavioral control. The lower behavioral control class was associated with the most advantageous child outcomes and household socio-demographic characteristics, whereas the high behavioral control class was associated with the most disadvantageous child outcomes and household characteristics. CONCLUSIONS: Efforts should be employed to reduce aggressive behaviors and promote positive parenting among caregivers in LMICs.

The Transition to Siblinghood: An Understudied Yet Influential Process Pertinent to Social Work Research.

Across cultures, the majority of individuals will have a sibling relationship in their lifetime. Of particular importance to parents and children is the transition to siblinghood, which refers to the process wherein a child becomes a sibling. Although many parents are concerned about how their children will adjust during the transition to siblinghood, scant empirical work on this subject exists. Available empirical work on the transition to siblinghood has stemmed from developmental psychology; however, social work researchers have yet to deeply explore this body of work. The transition to siblinghood is a topic that is rife with opportunity for social work researchers, who have the ability to study this transition from culturally sensitive, person-in-environment, and social justice perspectives. This article provides an overview of the elements and importance of the transition to siblinghood, introduces a theoretical framework relevant to social workers, reviews existent empirical work on the transition to siblinghood, and elucidates limitations in the literature that social work researchers are adept to address. The article concludes with four recommendations to researchers who are interested in studying the transition to siblinghood through a social work lens.

Media Use and Men's Approval of Intimate Partner Violence in Honduras.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a widespread issue that affects millions of individuals each year. Prior research suggests that IPV approval is associated with an increased likelihood of IPV perpetration. However, scant research has examined predictors of IPV approval, and even less has examined the predictors of IPV approval in Latin America. Social cognitive theory describes the acquisition of ideas, values, attitudes, and behaviors through social observation, including through media. This study uses social cognitive theory to examine the effects of media use on men's approval of IPV in Honduras, while controlling for demographic variables and IPV risk factors. We hypothesized that greater engagement with media (via television, radio, and newspapers or magazines) would be associated with decreases in the approval of IPV. Using ordinal logistic regression, we analyzed data from the Men's Survey Module of the 2011-2012 Honduras Demographic and Health Survey. The final sample included 4,760 currently partnered men. Results suggest that listening to the radio one or more times per week was associated with greater IPV approval, while newspaper/magazine and television use were not significantly associated with IPV approval. Education, marital status, increased age at first cohabitation, and having a female partner or someone else making decisions about earnings were all protective against IPV approval. Further investigation into the content of Honduran radio and other media is called for in order to inform interventions to reduce acceptance of IPV.

Longitudinal Analysis of Short-term Changes in Relationship Conflict During COVID-19: A Risk and Resilience Perspective.

This study uses a risk and resilience framework to examine short-term self-reported changes in relationship conflict early in the COVID-19 pandemic (March and April 2020). Longitudinal data from U.S. adults in a romantic relationship (N = 291) were collected via three waves of an online survey. Participants self-reported anxiety, depression, increased alcohol use, and dyadic coping since the pandemic. Relationship conflict variables included whether the participant reported that they and their partner "had disagreements related to the Coronavirus," "had more disagreements than usual," "had more verbal fights than usual," and "had more physical fights than usual" in the past two weeks. Analyses controlled for sociodemographic characteristics as well as days spent in lockdown and employment change due to COVID-19. Results indicated that couples' disagreement and verbal fighting scores increased from Time 1 to Time 2, but disagreements related to COVID-19 and physical fighting did not. Couples with higher levels of dyadic coping reported fewer fights and disagreements on average. However, dyadic coping did not buffer participants from increases in relationship conflict. Increased alcohol use since the pandemic was positively associated with disagreements related to COVID-19, disagreement scores, and verbal fighting scores. More days spent in lockdown was associated with increases in disagreements related to COVID-19. The conditions created by COVID-19 may contribute to worsening relationship conflict, even among couples who start with high levels of dyadic coping. Depression and alcohol use may contribute to poorer relationship quality during the pandemic. There is need for enhanced intervention and mental health supports to mitigate the potential effects of the pandemic on couples' relationship functioning.

Parental Social Isolation and Child Maltreatment Risk during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

On March 11, 2020, COVID-19 was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization. The social isolation and economic stress resulting from pandemic have the potential to exacerbate child abuse and neglect. This study examines the association of parents' perceived social isolation and recent employment loss to risk for child maltreatment (neglect, verbal aggression, and physical punishment) in the early weeks of the pandemic. Participants (N = 283) were adults living in the U.S. who were parents of at least one child 0-12 years of age. Participants completed an online survey approximately 2 weeks after the World Health Organization declared that COVID-19 was a pandemic. The survey asked about recent changes (i.e., in the past 2 weeks) to employment status, parenting behaviors, use of discipline, use of spanking, and depressive symptoms. Nearly 20% of parents had hit or spanked their child in the past two weeks alone. Parents' perceived social isolation and recent employment loss were associated with self-report of physical and emotional neglect and verbal aggression against the child, even after controlling for parental depressive symptoms, income, and sociodemographic factors. Parents' perceived social isolation was associated with parental report of changes in discipline, specifically, using discipline and spanking more often in the past 2 weeks. Associations were robust to analyses that included two variables that assessed days spent social distancing and days spent in "lockdown." Study results point to the need for mental health supports to parents and children to ameliorate the strain created by COVID-19.

Underlying mechanisms for racial disparities in parent-child physical and psychological aggression and child abuse risk.

BACKGROUND: Understanding factors that contribute to parents' use of physical and psychological parent-child aggression (PCA) is critical in efforts to mitigate child maltreatment. OBJECTIVE: Extant research has not adequately distinguished risk factors that may differ by race. PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS: The present study investigated potential racial differences in worry, approval of PCA, justification for PCA use, negative child intent attributions, and discrimination experiences in relation to child abuse risk and physical and psychological PCA use in a sample of 292 Black (44.9 %) and White mothers. RESULTS: As hypothesized, compared to White mothers, Black mothers demonstrated higher child abuse risk and reported more PCA use, stronger approval for using PCA, and more justification of their PCA to teach children obedience. Although Black mothers reported more discipline-relevant worry as well as more experience of discrimination, White mothers' lower trait worry related to their greater approval of PCA for discipline, which indirectly related to their abuse risk. Contrary to expectations, perceptions of greater discrimination were related to White mothers' increased child abuse risk, approval of PCA, and justification for PCA because of anger and to teach obedience-findings not observed for Black mothers. CONCLUSIONS: The current results underscore the need for additional research on the role of discrimination and the cultural context of parenting and highlight the importance of explicitly testing racial differences to develop more culturally informed abuse prevention approaches.

The Perfect Storm: Hidden Risk of Child Maltreatment During the Covid-19 Pandemic.

The Covid-19 pandemic upended the country, with enormous economic and social shifts. Given the increased contact from families living in virtual confinement coupled with massive economic disarray, the Covid-19 pandemic may have created the ideal conditions to witness a rise in children's experience of abuse and neglect. Yet such a rise will be difficult to calculate given the drop in official mechanisms to track its incidence. The current investigation utilized two studies conducted early in the pandemic to evaluate maltreatment risk. In the first cross-sectional study, parents (n = 405) reported increased physical and verbal conflict and neglect which were associated with their perceived stress and loneliness. In the second study, parents (n = 106) enrolled in a longitudinal study reported increased parent-child conflict, which was associated with concurrent child abuse risk, with several links to employment loss, food insecurity, and loneliness; findings also demonstrated increases in abuse risk and psychological aggression relative to pre-pandemic levels. Findings are discussed in the context of a reactive welfare system rather than a pro-active public-health oriented approach to child maltreatment, connecting with families through multiple avenues. Innovative approaches will be needed to reach children faced with maltreatment to gauge its scope and impact in the pandemic's aftermath.

Parenting activities and the transition to home-based education during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This study reports on parent-child dynamics during initial COVID-19 related school closures, based on cross-sectional analyses of a survey that utilized a convenience sampling approach. Data were collected in April 2020, approximately five weeks after the World Health Organization declared that the Coronavirus was a pandemic. Participants (N = 405) were adults recruited throughout the U.S. This study examines data from parents (69% mothers and 31% fathers) with at least one child 0-12 years of age. The majority were White (71%) and 41% had at least a bachelor's degree. The majority of parents (78%) were educating their child at home due to COVID-19. Most (77.1%) reported use of online tools for at-home education, including educational apps, social media, and school-provided electronic resources. More than one-third (34.7%) of parents said their child's behavior had changed since the pandemic, including being sad, depressed, and lonely. Most parents were spending more time involved in daily caregiving of their children since COVID-19. Two out of every five parents met the PHQ-8 criteria for major depression or severe major depression (40.0%) and the GAD-7 criteria for moderate or severe anxiety (39.9%). Multivariate analyses indicated that, compared to non-depressed parents, parents who met criteria for probable major or severe depression (B = -0.16, 95% CI = [-0.29, -0.02], p = .021) and parenting stress (B = -0.37, 95% CI = [-0.47, -0.27], p < .001) were negatively associated with parents' perceived preparation to educate at home. Compared to parents with minimal or mild anxiety, parents with moderate or severe anxiety reported higher child anxiety scores (B = 0.17, 95% CI = [0.06, 0.28], p = .002). Parenting stress was also positively associated with higher child anxiety scores (B = 0.40, 95% CI = [0.32, 0.48], p < .001). Content analyses of open-ended questions indicated that school closures were a significant disruption, followed by lack of physical activity, and social isolation. Overall, study results suggested that parents' mental health may be an important factor linked to at-home education and child wellbeing during the pandemic.

Physical Punishment and Child Externalizing Behavior: Comparing American Indian, White, and African American Children.

This study examined if, compared to White and African American children, maternal spanking of American Indian children was associated with child externalizing behavior problems. Using a community-based sample of 3,632 children (1,183 White, 2,183 African American, 266 American Indian), multiple-group autoregressive cross-lagged models examined the associations between maternal spanking and child externalizing behavior across the first 5 years of life. Rates of spanking for American Indian and White children were similar at all three time points (age 1, age 3, and age 5). When comparing White and American Indian groups, maternal spanking at age 1 predicted child externalizing behavior at age 3 (White: ß = .10, p < .001; American Indian: ß = .08, p < .01), and maternal spanking at age 3 predicted child externalizing behavior at age 5 (White: ß = .09, p < .05; American Indian: ß = .08, p < .01). When comparing African American and American Indian groups, maternal spanking at age 1 predicted child externalizing behavior at age 3 (African American: ß = .08, p < .01; American Indian: ß = .06, p < .001), and maternal spanking at age 3 predicted child externalizing behavior at age 5 (African American: ß = .08, p < .001; American Indian: ß = .07, p < .001). Structural invariance tests suggested that the associations observed among American Indian children were not distinguishable from those observed among White and African American children. Results of this study can be interpreted in light of the recent American Academy of Pediatrics statement that encourages pediatricians to counsel parents against the use of physical punishment. Similar to White and African American families, American Indian families may benefit from reducing or eliminating the use of physical punishment.

A Randomized Clinical Trial Testing a Parenting Intervention Among Afghan and Rohingya Refugees in Malaysia.

Refugee families experience uncertainty and stress when residing in countries of first asylum, such as Malaysia, and may benefit from supportive parenting interventions. In the greater Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia area we piloted an eight-week parenting program with 79 Rohingya and Afghan mothers in nine separate groups. Participants were randomized to an intervention group or a waitlist control group and those in each arm completed a 3-month follow-up assessment. Program content addressed positive discipline, strengthening family relationships, adapting to a new environment, and improving health and emotional well-being. Measures assessed included child intensity and parenting self-efficacy from the Child Adjustment and Parent Efficacy Scale; positive parenting, inconsistent discipline, and poor supervision from the Alabama Parenting Questionnaire-Short Form; family intimacy and family conflict from the Family Functioning Scale, and emotional well-being from the Refugee Health Screening-15. Participating in the intervention led to beneficial changes in child intensity, parenting self-efficacy, family intimacy, family conflict, and emotional distress for the treatment group, and all changes except for emotional distress were maintained over time. However, the intervention did not lead to changes in positive parenting, inconsistent discipline, or poor supervision in the treatment group. Findings point to the potential benefits of parenting programs for refugee communities in transitory settings and contribute to the limited body of literature examining such programs.

Las familias refugiadas sienten incertidumbre y estrés cuando viven en países de primer asilo, como Malasia, por eso, pueden beneficiarse de intervenciones de apoyo para la crianza. En el área metropolitana de Kuala Lumpur, en la zona de Malasia, hicimos una prueba piloto de un programa de ocho semanas sobre la crianza de los niños con 79 madres afganas y rohinyás en nueve grupos distintos. Se asignó aleatoriamente a los participantes a un grupo de intervención o a un grupo de referencia en lista de espera, y las personas de cada división completaron una evaluación de seguimiento a los tres meses. El contenido del programa abordó la disciplina positiva, el fortalecimiento de las relaciones familiares, la adaptación a un entorno nuevo y la mejora del bienestar emocional y de la salud. Los criterios evaluados fueron la intensidad de los niños y la autoeficacia de los padres de la Escala de Adaptación de los Niños y Eficacia de los Padres (Child Adjustment and Parent Efficacy Scale); la crianza positiva; la disciplina inconstante y la mala supervisión del Cuestionario Breve de Alabama sobre la Crianza (Alabama Parenting Questionnaire-Short Form); la intimidad familiar y el conflicto familiar de la Escala de Funcionamiento Familiar (Family Functioning Scale), y el bienestar emocional de la Evaluación de Salud de los Refugiados-15 (Refugee Health Screening-15). La participación en la intervención condujo a cambios beneficiosos en la intensidad de los niños, la autoeficacia en la crianza, la intimidad familiar, el conflicto familiar y el distrés emocional para el grupo de tratamiento, y todos los cambios, salvo el distrés emocional, se mantuvieron con el tiempo. Sin embargo, la intervención no condujo a cambios en la crianza positiva, ni en la disciplina inconstante, ni en la mala supervisión en el grupo de tratamiento. Los resultados señalan los posibles beneficios de los programas de crianza para las comunidades de refugiados en entornos transitorios y contribuyen al escaso corpus de publicaciones que analizan dichos programas.

Immigrant Generation, Race, and Socioeconomic Outcomes of Mothers in Urban Cities: Who Fares Better?

Immigrants living in the United States tend to exhibit racially stratified outcomes, with greater socioeconomic disadvantage experienced by immigrants of color. However, few comparative studies have examined this relationship among multiple generations of immigrant women. This study compared first-, second-, and third-plus-generation immigrant mothers on seven socioeconomic outcomes. Data came from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study. Our sample consisted of 4056 first-, second-, and third-plus-generation immigrant mothers living in U.S. urban cities. Logistic, ordinal logistic, and linear regression analyses were conducted to predict socioeconomic outcomes. Among immigrants of color, increased generation status was associated with worse socioeconomic outcomes. Among White immigrants, generation status was largely unassociated with socioeconomic outcomes. Results underscore the need for increasing support for immigrants and their posterity. Further research is warranted investigating mechanisms that lead to racially stratified disadvantages as immigrant generation increases.

Mothers' and Fathers' Parenting Stress, Responsiveness, and Child Wellbeing Among Low-Income Families.

Robust research shows that parenting stress is associated with reduced parental sensitivity toward their children (i.e., parental responsiveness), thus negatively influencing child outcomes. While there is strong research supporting these associations, most studies utilize self-report measures of responsiveness and exclude fathers. This study examines whether observed parental responsiveness mediates the relationship between parenting stress and child cognitive development, prosocial behavior, and behavior problems in a large sample of diverse low-income families. Data were obtained from the Building Strong Families Project (N=1,173). Dyadic bootstrapped mediation models were estimated in Mplus. For mothers and fathers, parenting stress was negatively associated with responsiveness (B = -.08, 95% CI = [-.14, -.02], p = .012), and responsiveness was positively associated with child cognitive development (B = .15, 95% CI = [.11, .19], p < .001) and child prosocial behavior (B = .12, 95% CI = [.08, .15], p < .001). Mothers' responsiveness was negatively associated with child behavior problems (B = -.07, 95% CI = [-.13, -.01], p = .020), but fathers' responsiveness was not (B = -.01, 95% CI = [-.06, .05], p = .814). For mothers and fathers, parenting stress was indirectly related to child cognitive development and prosocial behavior via responsiveness. Indirect effects were not found for mothers or fathers when predicting child behavior problems. To improve children's wellbeing, interventions may consider strengthening responsiveness and reducing parental stress among both mothers and fathers.

Household economic hardship as a moderator of the associations between maternal spanking and child externalizing behavior problems.

BACKGROUND: Spanking is associated with detrimental outcomes for young children. Research shows that spanking is more commonly used in low-income households. OBJECTIVE: To examine whether economic hardship, measured by household income-to-poverty ratio at the time of the child's birth, moderated the longitudinal associations between maternal spanking and child externalizing behavior problems during the first nine years of childhood. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: Mother-child pairs (N = 4,149) from a cohort study of urban families in 20 US cities. METHODS: Cross-lagged path models examined associations between maternal spanking and externalizing behavior when children were between the ages of 1 and 9. Multigroup analyses examined whether income-to-poverty ratio moderated these associations. RESULTS: Bivariate analyses showed that income-to-poverty ratio was associated with child externalizing behavior problems at each time point; income-to-poverty ratio was associated with maternal spanking at age 3 only. Longitudinal path model results indicated that, for low- and middle-income groups, maternal spanking at each age had significant associations with child externalizing behavior at each subsequent age. For the high-income group, maternal spanking at age 1 and age 3 had significant associations with child externalizing behavior at each subsequent age; however, spanking at age 5 was not associated with child externalizing behavior at age 9. CONCLUSIONS: Spanking is disadvantageous for children at all income levels, with more persistent effects in low- and middle-income families. For higher-income families, the associations of maternal spanking with child externalizing behavior problems may be attenuated as child age increases. Regardless of income level, parents should be advised against spanking.