Are emotionally competent adults emotionally available parents? Examination of theoretical and empirical relationships in a video-recorded parent-child interaction clinical preschool-aged sample.

OBJECTIVE: Emotional competence (EC) describes one's general ability to perceive, express, process, and regulate their own emotions as well as those of others. In the clinical context of parent-child interactions, the specific ability to perceive, express and regulate a child's emotions is conceptually covered by the Emotional Availability Scales (EAS). We aim to examine theoretical and empirical overlaps between EC (Rindermann) and emotional availability (EA; Biringen) for theoretical, diagnostic, and therapeutic reasons. METHODS: Parents of a clinically referred sample of preschool-aged children (55 dyads) filled out a self-report questionnaire (ECQ), and certified and blinded raters applied the EAS via observations. In a novel approach, the EC was additionally estimated with independent ratings made by two further observers. All dyads were coded on 10-min video-recorded parent-child interactions during free play. RESULTS: In bivariate and multivariate analyses, EC scores from observational ratings were strongly associated with independently rated clinical emotional availability scores. EC scores from self-reports were moderately associated with emotional availability scores. A post hoc power analysis estimated ß error probabilities. CONCLUSIONS: EC may represent an important personal precondition to an emotionally available parent. As such, we discuss implications for early risk factor assessments for child development and highlight new prevention approaches, new diagnostic options, and refined treatment goals. Limitations included the sample size, assessment, and the influence of study design on results.

Teachers' knowledge and approaches to supporting preterm children in the classroom.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Teachers in the UK receive little training about the long-term consequences of preterm birth on children's development. Our aim was to assess knowledge and elicit suggestions for improving educational practice in the US by means of a mixed-method study. METHODS: 246 US teachers (92.7% female) completed the validated Preterm Birth - Knowledge Scale (PB-KS). Of the participating teachers, 50.9% reported professional experience with preterm born children. A representative subsample of 35 teachers responded to a case vignette by describing how they would support the child in the classroom. Answers were coded using thematic content analysis. RESULTS: Overall, the mean PB-KS score was 15.21 (SD = 5.31). Participating teachers who had professional experience with a preterm child had higher mean PB-KS scores than teachers without (16.95 vs. 15.24, p = .012). Qualitative responses provided specific content for classroom intervention. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings show that US teachers have limited knowledge of the long-term impact of preterm birth. They provided important indicators for the design of targeted classroom interventions to support the learning of preterm children.