Socioeconomic and home educational resource risk factors and Children's literacy and social skills in Guyanese families: Mediating role of parental cognitive engagement and parental guidance.

This study examined the mediating role of parental cognitive engagement and parental guidance on the associations between family socioeconomic and home environment resource risk factors and children's literacy and social skills in Guyana. The sample consisted of 1208 families from diverse ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds drawn from the 2019 to 2020 country-level UNICEF MICS data. Caregivers provided assessments of socioeconomic conditions, educational resources in the home environment, cognitive engagement, parental guidance and children's literacy and social skills. Family socioeconomic risk had an indirect association with social skills through cognitive engagement. Home environment educational resource risk had indirect associations with children's literacy and social skills through parental guidance. Findings are discussed in terms of identifying protective factors within families in low- and middle-income Caribbean countries that can better inform intervention efforts geared at reducing risks to childhood development.

Maternal depressive symptoms and physical intimate partner violence and children's internalizing and externalizing behaviors in Guyanese families: Mediating role of constructive conflict behavior.

Using models of risk and resilience as a guide, this study examined the mediating role of constructive conflict behaviors on the associations between maternal depressive symptoms, intimate partner violence (IPV), and child behavior problems. The nature of the mediation pathways was also examined for two groups of families, one experiencing high and another experiencing low levels of partner social support. Participants included 196 mothers and their preschool-aged children from diverse ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds in Guyana. Constructive conflict behaviors partially mediated the link between maternal depressive symptoms and children's externalizing behaviors. Maternal depressive symptoms and physical intimate partner violence were directly related to children's internalizing behaviors. Constructive conflict behaviors were not a mediator of the association between risk factors and children's behavioral outcomes for families experiencing high or low levels of partner social support. In the context of families experiencing high partner social support, constructive conflict behaviors appeared to be more effective in reducing children's externalizing problem behaviors. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

The beneficial role of family enmeshment among South Korean immigrants in the United States.

Enmeshment is considered inimical to healthy family dynamics among European Americans. However, recent studies have failed to show negative associations between family enmeshment and individual outcomes among Asian Heritage families. Using structural equation modelling and multiple group analysis, this study examined whether enmeshed relationships are dysfunctional in Korean immigrant families in the United States and whether degree of acculturation moderated the associations between enmeshment and children's socioemotional functioning and academic performance. The sample consisted of 98 South Korean immigrant families with children between 9 and 14 years of age residing in the Greater New York City Area. Results showed that enmeshed family relationships tended to be beneficial to child socioemotional functioning and the association became more evident with lower than higher degree of acculturation. Findings are discussed in terms of the meaning of enmeshment when working with Korean immigrant families in the United States.

Maternal use of physical and non-physical forms of discipline and preschoolers' social and literacy skills in 25 African countries.

OBJECTIVES: Little is known about associations between different forms of discipline and children's literacy, social skills, and behavior in low- and middle-income countries. This study examined maternal use of physical discipline, harsh physical discipline, psychological aggression, and nonphysical discipline and their relative associations with preschool-aged children's social and literacy skills and behavioral difficulty in 25 diverse African countries. We also explored whether belief in physical discipline and sociodemographic factors moderate the associations between different forms of discipline and childhood outcomes. METHODS: The participants were 32,817 biological mothers and their preschool-aged children from the UNICEF Multiple indicator Cluster Surveys. Information regarding belief in and use of physical and nonphysical forms of discipline and children's social and literacy skills and behavioral difficulty were obtained via questionnaires obtained from mothers in each household. RESULTS: Psychological aggression was negatively, and nonphysical discipline positively associated with children's literacy skills. Harsh physical discipline, physical discipline, and psychological aggression were positively, and nonphysical discipline negatively associated with behavioral difficulty in children. Psychological aggression, physical discipline, and nonphysical discipline were positively associated with and harsh physical discipline negatively associated with children's social skills. Maternal education, preschool enrollment, and household wealth variously moderated the associations between different modes of discipline and children's literacy and social skills and behavioral difficulty. CONCLUSIONS: Findings underline the negative consequences of harsh discipline on children's social and literacy skills and behavioral difficulty in African cultural communities.

Positive discipline, harsh physical discipline, physical discipline and psychological aggression in five Caribbean countries: Associations with preschoolers' early literacy skills.

Physical punishment has received worldwide attention because of its negative impact on children's cognitive and social development and its implications for children's rights. Using UNICEF Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys 4 and 5 data, we assessed the associations between positive discipline, harsh physical punishment, physical punishment and psychological aggression and preschoolers' literacy skills in 5628 preschool-aged children and their caregivers in the developing nations of Belize, the Dominican Republic, Guyana, Jamaica and Suriname. Caregivers across countries used high levels of explanations and psychological aggression. There were significant country differences in the use of the four disciplinary practices. In the Dominican Republic and Guyana, physical punishment had negative associations with children's literacy skills, and in the Dominican Republic, positive discipline had a positive association with children's literacy skills. Findings are discussed with respect to the negative consequences of harsh disciplinary practices on preschoolers' early literacy skills in the developing world.

Sociodemographic, psychosocial and physical health correlates of common mental disorder symptoms among mothers in Trinidad and Tobago: Examining ethnic variations.

Historical and cultural experiences have shaped the life experiences of cultural communities in Trinidad and Tobago. Using a cultural focus, the goal of this investigation was to examine ethnic variations both in the prevalence of common mental disorder (CMD) symptoms as well as in the associations between sociodemographic, psychosocial, physical health correlates and CMDs among mothers in Trinidad and Tobago. Participants included 1002 mothers (359 African-, 353 Indo- and 290 Mixed-Ethnic Trinidadian). Mean comparisons indicated similarities in the levels of depression, somatisation and anxiety across ethnic groups. The associations between physical ill health, experiences of pain and depression and between physical ill health and somatisation were stronger for Mixed-Ethnic Trinidadian than Indo-Trinidadian mothers. The relationship between early experiences of domestic violence and depression was stronger for Indo-Trinidadian than Mixed-Ethnic Trinidadian mothers. The associations between early experiences of domestic violence and depression and between experiences of pain and somatisation were stronger for African Trinidadian than Mixed-Ethnic Trinidadian mothers. Thus beyond the direct effects, mothers belonging to specific ethnic groups indicated greater or lesser vulnerabilities to CMDs depending on their exposure to specific correlates. Results have applicability for the development of culturally sensitive interventions for mothers experiencing CMDs.

The moderating role of relationship skills education on depressive symptoms in fathers with young children.

Drawing on couple-focused prevention intervention models that target family level processes, we used complier average causal effect (CACE) estimates to determine whether relationship skills education moderated the association between fathers' depressive symptoms assessed when their children were 15-months-old and again when their children were 36-months-old. The sample consisted of low-income Hispanic American, European American, and African American fathers (N = 2,540) from the Building Strong Families Study. Fathers from 8 sites across the United States were randomly assigned to either a treatment group who were offered relationship skills education or a control group. Paternal age and family residential stability predicted fathers' utilization of intervention services. Relationship skills education moderated the association between depressive symptoms at 15 months and depressive symptoms at 36 months. The impact of dosage of relationship skills education on depressive symptoms was inconsistent and dependent on percentage of receipt of relationship skills education classes. Data are interpreted in the context of the efficacy of intervention programs for tempering depressive symptoms in low-income fathers with young children. (PsycINFO Database Record

The mediating role of maternal warmth in the associations between harsh parental practices and externalizing and internalizing behaviors in Hispanic American, African American, and European American families.

Using data from the add-on 5-year cohort of In-Home Longitudinal Study of preschool aged Children of the Fragile Families and Child Well-Being Study (FFCWS), we examined the mediating role of maternal warmth in the associations between positive and harsh maternal practices and children's externalizing and internalizing behaviors. The sample consisted of 1,922 low-income Hispanic American, African American, and European American families. For European Americans, the links between maternal psychological aggression and hostility and children's externalizing behaviors were direct. Similarly, for Hispanic Americans, the links between maternal psychological aggression, physical assault, and hostility and externalizing behaviors were direct, as was the link between maternal physical assault and internalizing behaviors. For African Americans, maternal warmth partially mediated the links between maternal hostility and physical assault and externalizing behaviors. However, the associations between psychological aggression and externalizing and internalizing behaviors were direct. The data are discussed with respect to similarities in cultural pathways of influence between harsh maternal treatment and children's behavioral difficulties across ethnic groups.

Do Guyanese mothers' levels of warmth moderate the association between harshness and justness of physical punishment and preschoolers' prosocial behaviours and anger?

This study assessed the moderating role of Indo-Guyanese mothers' warmth and affection on the associations between harshness and justness of physical punishment and prosocial behaviours and anger in preschoolers. One hundred and thirty-nine rural Indo-Guyanese mothers filled out Rohner's Parental Acceptance-Rejection (PARQ) and Physical Punishment Questionnaires (PPQ). Teachers provided assessments of children's prosocial behaviours and anger in preschool settings. Maternal warmth did not moderate the relationship between harshness of physical punishment and children's prosocial behaviours and anger, but it did moderate the relationship between justness of physical punishment and prosocial behaviours for sons as well as the association between justness of physical punishment and anger for daughters. In Caribbean societies where harsh punishment is normative, maternal warmth may work more effectively with justness, and not with harshness of physical punishment, to lower negative childhood behavioural outcomes.

Multilevel and cross-level effects of neighborhood and family influences on children's behavioral outcomes in Trinidad and Tobago: the intervening role of parental control.

The objective of this investigation was to examine the associations among neighborhood conditions, neighborhood collective efficacy, family economic disadvantage, parental control behaviors, and children's behavioral outcomes using multilevel and cross-level analyses. The proposed conceptual model incorporated propositions advanced by social disorganization theory, the structural-process model, as well as the Family Stress Model. Data were collected from a nationally representative sample of 1,337 families with children between 3 and 6 years (668 boys) drawn from 45 communities in Trinidad and Tobago. Neighborhood level indicators were assessed using census as well as parent reports whereas individual level constructs were assessed using parent reports. Findings indicated support for the Family Stress Model in that harsh punishment and parental monitoring functioned as mediators of the relationship between family economic disadvantage and behavioral difficulties (parental monitoring for prosocial behaviors). Findings from the multilevel analyses indicated that the relationship between neighborhood infrastructure deprivation and children's behavioral difficulties and prosocial behaviors was mediated through neighborhood collective efficacy and parental harsh punishment. Cross-level interactions indicated that neighborhood collective efficacy buffered the relationship between parental discipline, monitoring, harsh discipline and behavioral difficulties. Given the importance of communities and families in influencing children's behavioral outcomes, due consideration must be given to utilizing multilevel and cross-level perspectives both in research as well as in the development of intervention programs. Policies and programs designed to improve neighborhoods conditions, promote neighborhood collective efficacy, and advance the socioeconomic opportunities for families can help enhance the well-being of children.

A multilevel analysis of the role of parental and community variables on young children's health.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to examine the associations among community characteristics, family economic adversity, parents' health beliefs, and parents' and children's health using cross-level mediation analyses. METHODS: Survey data were collected from a nationally representative sample of 1,337 families with children between 3 and 6 years nested within 45 Trinidad and Tobago community clusters. RESULTS: At the individual level, parents' health belief of internality was a significant mediator between family economic adversity, adult health, and children's health. In the cross-level mediation analyses, health belief of internality was a significant mediator between community health problems and children's health. There were between-community variations in the relationship between adult health, health belief of powerful others, and children's health. CONCLUSIONS: There is strong evidence of the role of community and family influences on children's health. Findings indicate the need to use a multilevel analytical approach in studies of children's health.

Beliefs about mothers' and fathers' roles and the division of child care and household labor in Indo-Caribbean immigrants with young children.

Using a creolization conceptual framework, this study assessed beliefs about paternal and maternal roles, time spent in child care, and household labor among 60 Indo-Caribbean immigrant couples with young children. Analyses revealed belief systems about maternal and paternal roles that fell along traditional lines. Mothers invested significantly more time in major areas of child care and domestic labor than fathers did. Findings are discussed in terms of the lack of movement away from traditional gendered ideologies and the assumption of child care and household labor in Indo-Caribbean families in their new cultural community.

Social experiences and daily routines of African American infants in different socioeconomic contexts.

Sixty-two 3- to 4-month-old African American infants from lower, middle, and upper socioeconomic status (SES) backgrounds were each observed in naturalistic contexts for 12 hr. The social experiences of infants in the 3 groups were similar in many ways: Infants from all backgrounds slept and were vocalized to for similar amounts of time. However, infants in the upper SES families engaged in more self-play, vocalized less, fussed less, had fewer but longer naps, and fewer but longer bouts of social interaction than did infants in the middle- and lower SES families. Infants in the upper SES families also received more verbal affection and soothing responses to their fussing and crying than did the other infants, whereas infants in the lower SES families interacted more with extended kin than did infants in the upper SES families. These results underscore the need to study African American families in a variety of socioeconomic contexts because families in more advantaged circumstances may greatly differ from those who are more disadvantaged, especially in terms of reliance on extended kin as caregivers.

Mothers' and fathers' behaviors toward their 3- to 4-month-old infants in lower, middle, and upper socioeconomic African American families.

African American mothers' and fathers' availability, caregiving, and social behaviors toward their infants in and around their homes were examined. Twenty lower, 21 middle, and 21 upper socioeconomic families and their 3- to 4-month-old infants were observed for 4 3-hr blocks between 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. on 4 different weekdays. With increasing economic resources, children's exposure to multiple caregivers and nonresident fathers declined. Mothers were more available to infants than fathers were, regardless of socioeconomic status. Mothers fed infants more than fathers did, whereas fathers vocalized more and displayed more affection to infants than mothers did when they were examined in proportion to caregiver presence. Mothers and fathers interacted with male and female infants quite similarly, although, in the upper socioeconomic families, fathers of daughters were more available than fathers of sons. Fathers and mothers in the different socioeconomic groups held, displayed affection to, and soothed their infants differently.

Mothers' perceptions of their children's supplemental care experience: correlation with spousal relationship.

Mothers whose children were enrolled in day care and home-based care were asked to rate the care environment and assess its effects on their children's development, on parent-child relationships, and on spousal relationships. Significant differences in perceptions between the two groups of mothers and significant associations between the parent-child/marital and the supplemental care systems were revealed.