Executive functioning in child victims of sexual abuse: A multi-informant comparative study.

BACKGROUND: Research examining the association between child sexual abuse and executive functions is limited. Yet, exposure to traumatic situations at a young age has been associated with changes in the prefrontal cortex, which hosts executive functions (Wesarg et al., 2020). These functions are crucial for social adaptation, as they make it possible to inhibit maladaptive behavior and respond flexibly to the demands of the environment. As middle childhood is a sensitive period for the development of self-regulatory abilities, exploring executive functioning in school-age children could provide potential intervention targets (Dajani & Uddin, 2015). OBJECTIVE: Using multiple informants, this study compared executive functioning of sexually abused children to that of non-sexually victimized children and examined whether the differences were moderated by sex. METHODS: The sample consisted of 225, 6-to-12 years old children with a history of child sexual abuse (CSA) and 97 children without a history of CSA. Children completed two executive functioning tasks measuring cognitive flexibility and inhibition. Parents and teachers completed questionnaires evaluating children's executive functioning. RESULTS: In comparison to non-abused children, children with a history of CSA displayed greater executive functioning difficulties as assessed by both informant-reported questionnaires and self-completed tasks. Significant interaction effects were found, such as CSA predicting lower inhibition and executive functions at school in boys but not in girls. CONCLUSION: This study is a first step in understanding the association between CSA and executive functioning and offers a clearer picture of the differential impact of sexual trauma according to children's sex.

Early childhood attachment stability to mothers, fathers, and both parents as a network: associations with parents' well-being, marital relationship, and child behavior problems.

This study examines the stability of child attachment to mothers and fathers separately, and to both parents as a network between the infancy and preschool periods using a sample of 143 biparental families and their children (73 boys) recruited from the general population. Attachment was assessed at 15 months with the Strange Situation Procedure (SSP) and at 45 months with the Preschool Attachment Classification Coding System (PACS). First, results show no stability in attachment to mothers, to fathers, or to both parents as a network. Second, parents' mental health, life satisfaction, marital satisfaction, and child externalizing behavior are associated with attachment stability. Taken altogether, group comparisons reveal that children with a stable secure attachment to both parents as a network have parents with higher levels of well-being and exhibit less problem behaviors than children with 1) a stable secure attachment to one parent and an unstable attachment to the other parent (from secure to insecure or from insecure to secure), or 2) who never had a stable secure attachment to either parent. This study highlights the significance of attachment to both parents as a network over time as it is associated with developmental outcomes.

Longitudinal associations between the quality of family interactions and school-age children's narrative abilities in the context of financial insecurity.

This longitudinal study investigates whether the quality of family interactions at 3-5 years of age predicts narrative abilities in 7-9-year-old children from socioeconomically disadvantaged families. The sample consists of 67 children and their parents receiving social welfare. Family interactions were filmed during mealtime at home and coded using the Mealtime Interaction Coding System. Children's narrative abilities were measured based on their capacity to coherently elaborate and resolve stories from the Attachment Story Completion Task. Results revealed that children exposed to family interactions of higher quality make their narratives more accessible and understandable and include more appropriate expression of affects in their stories 4 years later, even after accounting for maternal education and verbal abilities. The results of this study highlight the importance of considering family interactions in the context of financial insecurity when studying socioemotional competence in childhood.

Effects of the Attachment Video-feedback Intervention (AVI) on parents and children at risk of maltreatment during the COVID-19 pandemic.

BACKGROUND: The global health crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has led to an increase in situations of risk of child abuse and neglect. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to examine whether the Attachment Video-feedback Intervention (AVI) program can improve protective factors (decrease parental stress and household chaos, increase parent-child emotional availability and parental reflective functioning) that may diminish child maltreatment in a group of families at risk for child abuse and neglect during the COVID-19 pandemic. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: The sample consisted of 41 children aged between 0 and 5 years (Mage = 35.36 months, SD = 14.65; 85.4 % boys) and their parents (Mage = 35.44, SD = 6.04; 75.6 % mothers). METHODS: The study design incorporated two randomized groups (Intervention group: AVI; Control group: treatment as usual) with pre- and post-test evaluations. RESULTS: In comparison to the control group, parents and children exposed to the AVI showed increases in emotional availability. Parents in the AVI group also presented increases in certainty regarding their child's mental states and reported lower levels of household chaos compared to those of the control group. CONCLUSIONS: The AVI program is a valuable intervention for increasing protective factors in families at risk of child abuse and neglect in times of crisis.

Romantic attachment and cyber dating violence in adolescence: A dyadic approach.

INTRODUCTION: Little research has documented cyber dating violence (DV)-a type of teen DV with unique characteristics that has been associated with negative consequences. Attachment is central to understanding negative behaviors in the context of relationships and has been associated with other forms of DV in teens. This study used an actor-partner interdependence model (APIM) to examine how cyber-DV victimization and perpetration (direct aggression and control) relate to attachment anxiety and avoidance. METHODS: An online questionnaire was completed by 126 adolescent couples (n = 252; mean age = 17.7) from Quebec, Canada. RESULTS: In almost all couples (96%), at least one partner reported an incident of cyber-control in the previous year, while cyber-aggression was reported in 34% of couples. APIM results revealed that girls' and boys' victimization and perpetration of direct cyber-aggression are associated similarly with both their own high levels of attachment anxiety and their partner's. Concerning cyber-control, results show that boys' and girls' victimization is associated more with their partner's higher level of anxious attachment than their own. Girls' perpetration of cyber-control is associated with both their own high levels of attachment anxiety and their partner's, while for boys' perpetration, their own high levels of anxious attachment were found to play a significantly greater role than their girlfriend's. No significant associations were found for the dimension of avoidant attachment for both cyber-aggression and cyber-control whether perpetration or victimization. CONCLUSION: These findings, which identify potential risk factors for victimization and perpetration of cyber-DV, have implications for research, intervention, and prevention.

Paternal mind-mindedness and children's academic achievement: Investigating developmental processes.

This study tested a 5-year sequential mediation model linking paternal mind-mindedness in toddlerhood to child early academic achievement through a developmental process unfolding in the preschool years. A sample of 128 mostly White middle-class families (68 girls) living in Montreal, Canada was assessed for paternal mind-mindedness when children were 18 months old, child language at age 2, theory of mind and effortful control at age 4, cognitive school readiness in kindergarten, and finally, achievement in math and reading in first grade. Controlling for maternal mind-mindedness assessed at age 12 months, the results showed prospective associations from paternal mind-mindedness to both math and reading achievement, mediated by theory of mind, effortful control, and school readiness in sequence. Results suggest that paternal mind-mindedness may support child academic outcomes by promoting the acquisition of intermediate skills during preschool years. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Marital satisfaction, parenting stress, and family alliance: Parental perspective taking as a moderator.

Research has shown that family alliance (FA), operationalized as the quality of mother-father-child triadic interactions, is important for child socioemotional development. However, few studies have investigated the predictors of FA, and there are few longitudinal studies available. Accordingly, this study first examined whether mothers' and fathers' marital satisfaction and parenting stress during infancy predicted FA five years later, when their children entered kindergarten. Second, the moderating role of both parents' perspective-taking capacity as a moderator of these longitudinal associations was examined. The study was conducted with 113 intact families (mother-father-child). Marital satisfaction, parenting stress, and perspective taking were reported by both parents and FA was assessed by observation. Contrary to expectations, neither parent's marital satisfaction or parenting stress was directly related to family alliance. However, significant moderating effects were found for both parents' perspective taking, such that higher paternal and maternal parenting stress predicted poorer FA only among parents with relatively lower perspective-taking capacities. These findings suggest that some aspects of the quality of family interactions when children enter school can be predicted by mothers' and fathers' personal dispositions assessed as early as five years prior.

An Attachment-Based Parental Capacity Assessment to Orient Decision-Making in Child Protection Cases: A Randomized Control Trial.

Two parenting capacity assessment (PCA) protocols, with a short parent-child intervention embedded in each protocol, evaluated the potential for enhanced parenting to orient child placement decision. Parents (n = 69), with substantiated reports of maltreatment by child protective services, and their children (0-6) were randomly assigned to one of two PCAs with either the Attachment Video-feedback (PCA-AVI) or a psychoeducational intervention (PCA-PI) as the embedded intervention component. The PCA-AVI group showed the highest increases in parent-child interaction quality at post-test. Also, at PCA completion, evaluators' conclusions about the parents' capacity to care for both PCA groups were associated with parent-child interactive improvements at post-test, the court's placement decision at post-test, and child placement one year later. However, only conclusions drawn by PCA-AVI evaluators were predictive of child re-reports of maltreatment in the year following PCA. PCAs, relying on short attachment interventions to assess the potential for enhanced parenting, are promising tools to orient child placement decisions.

Transmission of parental childhood trauma to child behavior problems: Parental Hostile/Helpless state of mind as a moderator.

BACKGROUND: Little attention has been given to intergenerational transmission of risk, mainly whether caregivers' history of childhood maltreatment is linked to behavioral symptoms in their children and which protective/risk factors are involved in this transmission process. OBJECTIVE: This study examined if parental Hostile/Helpless (H/H) state of mind with respect to attachment moderated the association between parental childhood trauma and behavior problems in maltreated children. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: The sample included 61 parents and their children victims or at very high risk of maltreatment, aged between 1 and 6 years old. METHOD: Parents retrospectively reported their childhood trauma and completed a measure of their children's behavior problems. Independent observers assessed H/H attachment representations. RESULTS: Among parents with H/H states of mind, more severe traumatic childhood experiences were associated with more externalizing and internalizing behavior problems in their children. Among non-H/H parents, associations between parental childhood trauma and child behavior problems were not significant. CONCLUSIONS: In the context of trauma, this study suggests that the absence of a H/H state of mind in parents (i.e., the presence of an organized attachment state of mind) is a protective factor for child adjustment. H/H mental representations of self and attachment experiences as targets of intervention for parents with histories of maltreatment may help reduce the transmission of risk in maltreating families.

Attachment goes to court: child protection and custody issues.

Attachment theory and research are drawn upon in many applied settings, including family courts, but misunderstandings are widespread and sometimes result in misapplications. The aim of this consensus statement is, therefore, to enhance understanding, counter misinformation, and steer family-court utilisation of attachment theory in a supportive, evidence-based direction, especially with regard to child protection and child custody decision-making. The article is divided into two parts. In the first, we address problems related to the use of attachment theory and research in family courts, and discuss reasons for these problems. To this end, we examine family court applications of attachment theory in the current context of the best-interest-of-the-child standard, discuss misunderstandings regarding attachment theory, and identify factors that have hindered accurate implementation. In the second part, we provide recommendations for the application of attachment theory and research. To this end, we set out three attachment principles: the child's need for familiar, non-abusive caregivers; the value of continuity of good-enough care; and the benefits of networks of attachment relationships. We also discuss the suitability of assessments of attachment quality and caregiving behaviour to inform family court decision-making. We conclude that assessments of caregiver behaviour should take center stage. Although there is dissensus among us regarding the use of assessments of attachment quality to inform child custody and child-protection decisions, such assessments are currently most suitable for targeting and directing supportive interventions. Finally, we provide directions to guide future interdisciplinary research collaboration.

Development and Validation of a Measure of Attachment Disorders Based on DSM-5 Criteria: The Early TRAuma-Related Disorders Questionnaire (ETRADQ).

BACKGROUND: A review of the scientific literature showed few valid tools for assessing reactive attachment disorder (RAD) and disinhibited social engagement disorder (DSED), two diagnostic entities traditionally grouped under "attachment disorders." The Early TRAuma-related Disorders Questionnaire (ETRADQ), a caregiver report, was developed to assess attachment disorders in school-age children based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-Fifth edition criteria. This study sought to validate this instrument. METHOD: Caregivers of school-age children from the community (n = 578) and caregivers of at-risk children adopted or in out-of-home care (n = 245) completed a sociodemographic questionnaire, the ETRADQ, the Relationship Problem Questionnaire, the RADA (RAD and DSED Assessment) interview, and the Barkley Functional Impairment Scale for Children and Adolescents. RESULTS: Confirmatory factor analysis of the ETRADQ items supported the expected organization of the measure, that is, two second-order factors and five subfactors: (1) RAD scale (three subscales: Low selective attachment, Low social and emotional responsiveness, Emotional unpredictability) and (2) DSED scale (two subscales: Interactions with unfamiliar adults, Social disinhibition). All scales showed excellent internal consistency, test-retest reliability, convergent validity, and known-group validity. CONCLUSIONS: Results support the reliability and validity of the ETRADQ.

Paternal distress and child behavior problems in low-SES families: Quality of father-child interactions as mediators.

This study examines, in low-income families, whether fathers' distress is associated with behavioral problems in preschool children and if the quality of father-child interactions mediates this association. Participants were 81 children between the ages of 3 and 5 years and their parents who were receiving social welfare. Quality of father-child interactions was assessed during a free-play situation and a toy cleanup task, fathers' parenting stress and psychological distress were self-reported, and children's behavior problems were assessed by both parents. Results showed that the quality of father-child interactions during free play, but not during cleanup, partially mediated the link between father distress and child internalizing and externalizing behavior problems. Our findings point to the role of the father-child relationship in the intergenerational transmission of risk in the preschool period. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Meta-Analyses of the Associations Between Disinhibited Social Engagement Behaviors and Child Attachment Insecurity or Disorganization.

Children with disinhibited social engagement disorder show reduced reticence with strangers, do not check back with their caregiver after venturing away, and may willingly leave with an unfamiliar adult. The recent DSM-5 has moved away from an attachment framework to understand disinhibited social engagement behavior (DSEB) due to studies indicating its presence in previously institutionalized children even after these children are adopted and show a selective, more secure attachment with their substitute caregiver (e.g. Chisholm et al., 1998). This meta-analysis aims to clarify the size of the associations between DSEB and attachment insecurity or disorganization. It also examines whether studies effect sizes differ according to various moderators (e.g., child age, type of attachment and DSEB measures). The results (k = 24) showed that the associations between DSEB and attachment insecurity (d = 0.48) or attachment disorganization (d = 0.47) were of small magnitude. There were no publication biases. As for moderator analyses on both attachment insecurity and disorganization, the effect sizes in studies using DSEB observational measures (respectively d = 0.63 and 0.57) were of moderate magnitude and stronger than those in studies not using an observational component (respectively d = 0.28 and 0.32). Given these small-to-moderate associations, attachment can be considered a relationship process associated with DSEB, and attachment-informed interventions could be potential tools to reduce DSEB in children. Nevertheless, given the sizable unshared portion of variance between DSEB and child attachment, future studies should examine other variables related to caregiving and noncaregiving contexts to further understand DSEB.

Further evidence for the multidimensional nature of maternal sensitivity: differential links with child socioemotional functioning at preschool age.

There has been increasing scholarly attention to the study of maternal sensitivity as a multidimensional construct. This report investigated the predictive value of three dimensions of sensitivity during mother-infant interactions in an effort to gain greater understanding of how specific facets of sensitivity relate to child socioemotional outcomes. Maternal cooperation/attunement (accurate interpretation of infant cues and capacity to adjust the interaction correspondingly), positivity (positive attitude toward the infant), and accessibility/availability (consistent attentiveness) were assessed observationally in 195 mothers of 1-year-old infants. Child socioemotional functioning was assessed using behavioral tasks and maternal and teacher reports when children were 4 years of age. The results revealed that maternal accessibility/availability was predictive of less externalizing behavior, more prosocial behavior (mother- and teacher-reported), and better theory of mind, while maternal positivity predicted effortful control. These results highlight the advantages of a multidimensional assessment in understanding how sensitivity predicts different developmental outcomes.

Improving parent-child interactions in maltreating families with the Attachment Video-feedback Intervention: Parental childhood trauma as a moderator of treatment effects.

Research is demonstrating the effectiveness of attachment-based interventions for maltreating families. However, parents' own traumatic childhood experiences may interfere with treatment effects. The current study investigated in a sample of maltreating families whether effects of the Attachment Video-feedback Intervention (AVI) on parent-child interactive quality were moderated by parental childhood trauma. Families were randomized to receive AVI (n = 29) or a Psychoeducative intervention (PI; n = 19), or they were in anon-randomized comparison group (RS; n = 40). Parents filled out the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire and videotapes of parent-child interactions were coded for interactive quality. Parents who received AVI showed improved parent-child interactive quality compared to parents in PI and RS groups. However, parents with more severe levels of childhood trauma showed less improvements. Future research should explore whether clinical attention with a specific focus on trauma would increase treatement effects.

Disinhibited social engagement behaviors in young maltreated children: Dysfunctional behavior of biological parents and child attachment.

BACKGROUND: Studies on children with disinhibited social engagement behavior (DSEB) and their caregivers have primarily been limited to institution-reared children. OBJECTIVE: Using a sample of intact parent-child dyads, the current study examined the distinct contributions of dysfunctional (disconnected/extremely insensitive) parental behaviors and type of maltreatment on maltreated children's levels of DSEB. Child time in foster care and quality of attachment to caregiver were taken in account. PARTICIPANTS: The sample comprised 67 children (1-5 years old) and their biological parent with substantiated maltreatment and recruited through child protective services between the years of 2008 and 2012. METHODS: Observations of parent-child interactions were collected and child CPS files were consulted. RESULTS: Results indicate that very few children (4%), in this predominantly neglected sample (79 %), showed high levels of DSEB. Levels of socioeconomic risks, child age, child sex, time in placement, or attachment to caregiver were not significantly related to DSEB. The vast majority of the children developed an insecure attachment to their parent (76 %), especially of the disorganized type (51 %). Finally, beyond neglect, which was no longer associated with DSEB in the final model, we found that the more the parent showed disconnected and extremely insensitive behavior (R2 = .10), in particular withdrawn behavior, the more the children exhibited DSEB. CONCLUSION: Albeit of a small magnitude, we suggest that the quality of parental behavior could play a role in children's development and recovery of DSEB.

Feasibility of training service providers on the AMBIANCE-Brief measure for use in community settings.

The Atypical Maternal Behavior Instrument for Assessment and Classification-Brief (AMBIANCE-Brief) was developed to provide a clinically useful and psychometrically sound assessment of disrupted parenting behavior for community practitioners. With prior evidence of this tool's reliability and validity in laboratory settings, this study aimed to determine whether providers from family service agencies could become reliable in the use of the level of disrupted communication following a brief training. Providers (N = 46) from three agency sites participated in a 2-day AMBIANCE-Brief training and, at the end of the training, coded eight videotaped mother-child interactions. Novice participant coding was compared to expert consensus ratings using intraclass correlations. On average, participants' interrater agreement was good (ICCmean  = .84, SD = 0.10), with 89% meeting the reliability standards of ICC ≥ .70. In response to queries, 100% of participants indicated that they would recommend the AMBIANCE-Brief training to their colleagues, 85% reported that the AMBIANCE-Brief measure would be useful or very useful for their clinical practice, and 56% of participant clinicians believed that parents would find the measure acceptable or very acceptable for integration into intervention or support planning. Altogether, these findings speak to the feasibility of using the AMBIANCE-Brief in community settings. Future studies are needed in diverse clinical and community contexts to evaluate whether use of this assessment tool can inform more targeted interventions tailored to the specific needs of families.

El Instrumento Abreviado para Evaluación y Clasificación de la Conducta Materna Atípica (AMBIANCE-Abreviado; Madigan, Bronfman, Haltigan y Lyons-Ruth, 2018) se desarrolló para ofrecer a quienes practican en la comunidad una evaluación clínicamente útil y sicométricamente acertada de la conducta de crianza trastornada. Con la anterior evidencia de la confiabilidad y validez de esta herramienta en el marco de los laboratorios (Cooke, Eirich, Racine, Lyons-Ruth y Madigan, 2020), este estudio se propuso determinar si se podría confiar en quienes proveen el servicio como parte de las agencias de servicio a las familias después de un breve entrenamiento. Los proveedores (N = 46) de tres lugares de agencias participaron en un entrenamiento de dos días sobre AMBAIANCE-Abreviado y, al final del entrenamiento, codificaron ocho interacciones madre-niño grabadas en video. Se comparó la forma de codificar de los novatos con el puntaje consenso de los expertos usando correlaciones dentro de clases. El acuerdo entre los evaluadores fue bueno (ICC media = .84, SD = 0.10), con un 89% de los participantes que lograron el estándar de confiabilidad de ICC > .70. En respuesta a preguntas, el 100% de los participantes indicó que ellos recomendarían el entrenamiento de AMBIANCE-Abreviado a sus colegas, 85% reportó que la medida AMBIANCE-Abreviado sería útil o muy útil en su práctica clínica, y 56% creían que los progenitores encontrarían la medida aceptable o muy aceptable para ser integrada en la intervención o el planeamiento de apoyo. En conjunto, estos resultados hablan de la factibilidad de usar AMBIANCE-Abreviado en el marco comunitario.

L'Instrument d'Evaluation et de Classification-Brève du Comportement Maternel Atypique (AMBIANCE-Bref; Madigan, Bronfman, Haltigan, & Lyons-Ruth, 2018) a été développé afin d'offrir une évaluation du comportement de parentage perturbé, cliniquement utile et saine du point de vue psychométrique, pour les acteurs communautaires. Avec des preuves préalables de la fiabilité et de la validité de cet outil en laboratoire (Cooke, Eirich, Racine, Lyons-Ruth, & Madigan, 2020), cette étude s'est donné pour but de déterminer si les prestataires des agences de service à la famille pouvaient devenir fiables pour son utilisation après une formation courte. Des prestataires (N = 46) de trois sites d'agence ont participé à une formation AMBIANCE-Bref de deux jours et à la fin de la formation ont codé huit interactions mère-enfant filmées. Le codage du participant débutant a été comparé aux évaluations par consensus d'expertes en utilisant des corrélations intraclasses. Le coefficient d'objectivité était bon (moyenne des coefficient de corrélation intraclasse [ICC] = 84, SD = 0,10), avec 89% des participants remplissant les standards de fiabilité d'ICC ICC ³,70. En répondant aux questions, 100% des participants ont indiqué qu'ils ou elles recommanderaient la formation AMBIANCE-bref à leurs collègues, 85% ont indiqué que la mesure AMBIANCE-bref serait utile ou très utile pour leur pratique clinique, et 56% ont déclaré qu'ils ou elles croyaient que les parents trouveraient cette mesure acceptable ou très acceptable pour une intégration à une intervention ou le plan de soutien. Au total, ces résultats parlent de la viabilité de l'utilisation de l'AMBIANCE-bref dans des contextes communautaires.

Adoptive gay fathers' sensitivity and child attachment and behavior problems.

Fathers' sensitivity and child attachment security and externalizing and internalizing problems were investigated among families headed by two adoptive gay fathers. A sample of 68 fathers and their 34 children aged 1-6 years participated in the study. Fathers completed a sociodemographic questionnaire and the Child Behavior Checklist. Parental sensitivity and child attachment security were assessed by independent coders with Q-sort methodology during parent-child interactions at home. Results indicate that few children had low attachment security scores and behavior problems in the clinical range. Fathers' sensitivity within parenting couples appeared similarly high, as did children's attachment security. In contrast to the weak association found in past studies among heterosexual fathers, a significant moderate correlation was found between paternal sensitivity and child attachment security. Also, children with higher levels of attachment security had less externalizing problems.

Parenting stress of adoptive mothers, mother-child conflict, and behavior problems during adolescence among international adoptees.

International adoptees show more behavior problems than their nonadopted peers do during childhood and adolescence. Although conditions of deprivation experienced prior to adoption have been found to have a long-lasting impact on child psychosocial adjustment, the influence of adoptive families tends to increase over age. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of parenting stress and parent-child conflict on international adoptees' behavior problems in adolescence. Our sample consisted of 60 adolescents adopted during infancy and their mothers. Adolescents' behavior problems were assessed using the Dominic Interactive Adolescent, a self-report measure, and the Child Behavior Checklist, completed by mothers. Parenting stress was assessed using the Stress Index for Parents of Adolescents. Adolescents and their mothers were also observed during a discussion to evaluate parent-child conflict. Structural equation modeling revealed that parent-child conflict mediated the association between parenting stress and externalizing symptoms. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Family environment and preschoolers' sleep: the complementary role of both parents.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate in a sample of low-income families whether the quality of parent-child interactions mediated the association between coparenting and child sleep, and if this association was moderated by parents' anxiety. METHOD: In sum, 81 two-parent families with a preschool child (aged 3 to 5 years) and receiving social security benefits were recruited. Mothers and fathers completed questionnaires assessing coparenting, parental anxiety, and child sleep duration and sleep problems. Quality of mother-child and father-child interactions was evaluated by independent observers from videotaped free play sequences in the home environment. RESULTS: Results showed that preschoolers' sleep duration was unrelated to paternal factors but associated with maternal factors. Specifically, coparenting predicted children's sleep duration through its effect on the quality of mother-child interactions, but only for dyads in which mothers were clinically anxious. Preschoolers' sleep problems were related to coparenting, quality of mother-child and father-child interactions, and mothers' but not fathers' anxiety. CONCLUSION: The current results suggest that both parents play a complementary role in children's sleep. Likewise, different pathways and interactions were found in relation to sleep duration and problems, emphasizing the complexity of the links between family factors and sleep processes. Overall, this study helps to clarify some of the associations between parental characteristics and preschoolers' sleep within a sample of low-income families.