Randomized controlled trial of a prenatal focused coparenting consultation for unmarried black fathers and mothers: One-year infant and family outcomes.

In the infant mental health field, scant conceptual attention has been given to coparenting and family adaptations of non-white family systems, with no evidence-based, community-informed coparenting interventions responsive to unmarried Black mothers' and fathers' life circumstances. This study examined 1-year post-partum child and family outcomes of a novel, modest dosage (six sessions) prenatal focused coparenting consultation (FCC) using randomized controlled trial methodology. One-hundred-thirty-eight expectant families (one or both parents identified as Black/African American) were randomized to an intervention (N = 70) or treatment-as-usual (TAU; control) condition (N = 68). TAU families received navigational support in accessing existing community services for pregnant families. Intervention families received TAU plus 6 dyadic FCC sessions led by a Black male-female Community Mentor team. When infants were three and 12 months old, parents reported on coparenting, father engagement, interparental aggression, depressive symptoms, and infant social and emotional adjustment. Intent-to-treat analyses focusing on 12-month post-partum data indicated significant intervention effects on coparenting, interparental psychological aggression, and infants' emotional adjustment. Improvement was also seen in depression and father engagement, with gains for both groups. Results suggest FCC delivered by same-race Community Mentors to unmarried Black coparents transitioning to parenthood supports infant and family adaptation during the first year of life.

En el campo de salud mental infantil, se le ha puesto escasa atención conceptual a la compartida crianza y a las adaptaciones familiares en sistemas de familias no blancas, sin intervenciones sobre la compartida crianza basadas en la evidencia o con información comunitaria que sean sensibles a las circunstancias de mamás y papás de raza negra no casados. Este estudio examinó los resultados en el niño y la familia al año después del parto de la novedosa, prenatal Consulta de Enfoque en la Compartida Crianza (FCC) con número modesto de 6 sesiones, usando metodología de ensayo controlado al azar. Se asignó al azar ciento treinta y ocho familias durante el embarazo (uno o ambos progenitores identificados como negro o afroamericano) a una condición de intervención (N = 70) o de Tratamiento Usual (TAU; control) (N = 68). Las familias del grupo TAU recibieron apoyo direccional para lograr acceso a los servicios comunitarios existentes para familias durante el embarazo. Las familias del grupo de Intervención recibieron TAU más 6 sesiones diádicas de FCC dirigidas por un equipo comunitario de mentores compuesto por un hombre y una mujer negros. Cuando los infantes tenían tres y 12 meses de edad, los progenitores reportaron acerca de la compartida crianza, la participación del papá, la agresión entre progenitores, síntomas depresivos, y el ajuste social y emocional del infante. Los análisis con Intención de Tratar enfocados en los datos a 12 meses después del parto indicaron significativos efectos de la intervención en la compartida crianza, la agresión sicológica entre progenitores y el ajuste emocional de los infantes. También se notó mejoría en la depresión y en la participación del papá, con beneficios para ambos grupos. Los resultados indican que la FCC que dirigen mentores comunitarios de la misma raza a parejas negras no casadas en transición a ser padres apoya la adaptación del infante y la familia durante el primer año de vida.

Dans le domaine de la santé mentale du nourrisson peu d'attention conceptuelle a été donnée au co-parentage et aux adaptations de la famille dans des systèmes familiaux non-blancs, avec aucune intervention basée sur l'évidence et informée par la communauté répondant aux circonstances de vie des mères et des pères noirs. Cette étude a examiné les résultats pour l'enfant à un mois post-partum et la famille d'un nouveau dosage modéré (6 session) de la Consultation Ciblée de Co-parentage (en anglais Focused Coparenting Consultation, soit FCC) prénatale en utilisant une méthodologie d'essai contrôlé randomisé. Cent trente-huit familles attendant un enfant (un ou les deux parents identifié(s) comme Américains noirs/africains) ont été randomisés pour une intervention (N = 70) ou une condition Traitement-Comme d'Habitude (TCH; contrôle) (N = 68). Les familles TCH ont reçu du soutien à la navigation pour accéder aux services communautaires pour les familles enceintes. Les familles de l'intervention ont reçu le TCH plus 6 session FCC dyadiques menées par une équipe de Mentor Communautaire noire et formée d'un homme et d'une femme. Quand les bébés ont eu trois et 12 mois, les parents ont fait état du co-parentage, de l'engagement du père, de l'agression inter-parentale, de symptômes dépressifs, et de l'ajustement social et émotionnel du bébé. Des analyses en intention de traiter portant sur les données post-partum à 12 mois ont indiqué des effets importants de l'intervention pour le co-parentage, l'agression psychologique inter-parentale, et l'ajustement émotionnel des bébés. Des améliorations ont également été vues dans la dépression et l'engagement du père, avec des gains pour les deux troupes. Les résultats suggèrent que la FCC faite par des Mentors Communautaires de la même race à des coparents noirs non mariés transitionnant à la parentalité soutient le bébé et l'adaptation de la famille durant la première année de la vie.

A culturally grounded prenatal coparenting intervention: Results of a randomized controlled trial with unmarried Black parents.

This study examines the efficacy of a prenatal intervention designed to promote healthy coparenting relationships in families where low-income, unmarried mothers and fathers were expecting a first baby together. One hundred thirty-eight Black and mixed-race mother-father dyads participated. Coparent dyads were randomly assigned to either a treatment as usual (TAU) group, receiving referrals and navigation support to existing community services (control), or to TAU plus invitation to a series of six dyadic Focused Coparenting Consultation (FCC) sessions led by a male-female mentor team (intervention). Seventy-one percent of those prenatally assessed were later reassessed at 3 months postpartum. Both mothers and fathers contributed reports of coparenting, father engagement, physical and psychological intimate partner violence (IPV), and depressive symptoms. Intent-to-treat analyses indicated: (a) some evidence that mothers in the intervention group reported more positive coparenting communication at 3 months postpartum than did control group mothers; (b) mothers in the intervention group reported significantly more time spent by fathers with the child than did control group mothers; (c) parents in the intervention group had significant reductions in psychological IPV compared to parents in the control group; and (d) both mothers and fathers showed reductions in self-reported depression over time, with no differential impact of group. Findings suggest that the FCC intervention may produce modest but important benefits for unmarried, low-income Black coparents in the transition to parenthood. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

"No-o-o-o Peeking": Preschoolers' Executive Control, Social Competence, and Classroom Adjustment.

The goals of this study were to evaluate (1) how specific aspects of executive control, briefly assessed, predict social competence and classroom adjustment during preschool; and (2) differences between two aspects of executive control, according to child's age, socioeconomic risk status, and gender. The facets of executive control were defined as cool executive control (CEC; affectively neutral, slow acting, and late developing) and hot executive control (HEC; more emotional, fast acting, and early developing). Two hundred eighty-seven 3- to 5-year-old children from private child care and Head Start centers were directly assessed during executive control tasks, and preschool teachers provided information on their school success. Aspects of executive control varied with age, socioeconomic risk, and gender. Specifically, older children performed better on CEC tasks across three age levels; for HEC tasks, change was seen only between 3-year-olds and 4-year-olds. Children of mothers with less formal education performed less well on CEC than those whose mothers had more education; girls performed better than boys on HEC tasks. Further, facets of executive control were differentially related to later social competence and classroom adjustment. HEC predicted social competence, whereas CEC uniquely predicted classroom adjustment. Implications for everyday practice and specific curricula formulation are discussed.

Observing preschoolers' social-emotional behavior: structure, foundations, and prediction of early school success.

Social-emotional behavior of 352 3- and 4-year-olds attending private child-care and Head Start programs was observed using the Minnesota Preschool Affect Checklist, Revised (MPAC-R). Goals of the investigation included (a) using MPAC-R data to extract a shortened version, MPAC-R/S, comparing structure, internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and stability of both versions; and, using the shortened measure, to examine (b) age, gender, and risk status differences in social-emotional behaviors; (c) contributions of emotion knowledge and executive function to social-emotional behaviors; and (d) contributions of social-emotional behaviors to early school adjustment and kindergarten academic success. Results show that reliability of MPAC-R/S was as good, or better, than the MPAC-R. MPAC-R/S structure, at both times of observation, included emotionally negative/aggressive, emotionally regulated/prosocial, and emotionally positive/productive behaviors; MPAC-R structure was similar but less replicable over time. Age, gender, and risk differences were found. Children's emotion knowledge contributed to later emotionally regulated/prosocial behavior. Finally, preschool emotionally negative/aggressive behaviors were associated with concurrent and kindergarten school success, and there was evidence of social-emotional behavior mediating relations between emotion knowledge or executive function, and school outcomes. The importance of portable, empirically supported observation measures of social-emotional behaviors is discussed along with possible applications, teacher utilization, and implementation barriers.