On executive functioning and childcare: The moderating role of parent-child interactions.

Childcare services are widely used by families and thereby exert an important influence on many young children. Yet, little research has examined whether childcare may impact the development of child executive functioning (EF), one of the pillars of cognitive development in early childhood. Furthermore, despite persisting hypotheses that childcare may be particularly beneficial for children who have less access to optimal developmental resources at home, research has yet to address the possibility that putative associations between childcare and EF may vary as a function of family factors. Among a sample of 180 mostly White middle-class families (91 girls), we examined if childcare participation in infancy was related to two aspects of EF (Delay and Conflict) at 3 years, and whether two aspects of maternal parenting behavior (sensitivity and autonomy support) moderated these associations. The results showed positive associations between participation in group-based childcare and Delay EF specifically among children of relatively less autonomy-supportive mothers. These findings suggest that out-of-home childcare services may play a protective role for children exposed to parenting that is less conducive to their executive development. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS: Little research has considered effects of childcare in infancy on executive functioning (EF). Long-standing hypothesis that childcare is more beneficial for children exposed to less sensitive and supportive parenting. We test interactions between maternal parenting and childcare participation in infancy in relation to EF at age 3 years. We find positive associations between participation in group-based childcare and Delay EF specifically among children of relatively less autonomy-supportive mothers.

Home-visiting Parenting Programs to Improve Mother-Infant Interactions at Early Ages: A Systematic Review.

Objective: To systematically review studies examining the effects of home-visiting preventive parenting programs (HV-PPs) on improving the quality of mother-child interactions in early childhood. Method: Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses protocol, we identified 3,586 studies published between 2018 and 2022 by searching the following databases: PubMed, Web of Science, BVS/LILACS, SciELO, and PsycNET/PsycINFO. After applying the eligibility criteria, 17 articles were selected for review. Results: Most studies were conducted in high-income countries (53%) and the remainder were conducted in upper-middle-income countries, predominantly using a randomized controlled trial design and with strong methodological quality. The 17 studies applied 13 different HV-PPs, predominantly using video feedback, based on various dosages and schedules. Most studies (77%) showed significant positive effects on mother-child interactions by improving mainly positive maternal behaviors (e.g., sensitivity and responsiveness). Positive effects occurred independent of the study design, sample characteristics, measures, and constructs assessed. However, the findings suggest that the combination of fewer than six sessions, durations shorter than three months, and a very early start did not impact mother-child interactions, as expected. Few studies have explored negative maternal behaviors, children's behaviors, and dyadic interactions such as mutuality and synchrony. Conclusions: HV-PPs positively impacted mother-child interactions in early childhood despite the large heterogeneity across program designs, outcome measures, and overlapping constructs. Based on the results, we discuss the practical and economic implications of using parenting programs as a preventive approach.

Multiple Risk in Pregnancy- Prenatal Risk Constellations and Mother-Infant Interactions, Parenting Stress, and Child Externalizing and Internalizing Behaviors: A Prospective Longitudinal Cohort Study from Pregnancy to 18 Months Postpartum.

Multiple risk is associated with adverse developmental outcomes across domains. However, as risk factors tend to cluster, it is important to investigate formation of risk constellations, and how they relate to child and parental outcomes. By means of latent class analysis patterns of prenatal risk factors were identified, and relations to interactional quality, parenting stress, and child internalizing and externalizing behaviors were investigated. An array of prenatal risk factors was assessed in 1036 Norwegian pregnant women participating in a prospective longitudinal community-based study, Little in Norway. Mother-infant interactions were videotaped and scored with the Early Relational Health Screen (ERHS) at 12 months. The Parenting Stress Index (PSI) and Infant-Toddler Social and Emotional Assessment (ITSEA) were administered at 18 months. First, we analyzed response patterns to prenatal risks to identify number and characteristics of latent classes. Second, we investigated whether latent class membership could predict mother-child interactional quality, parenting stress, and child internalizing and externalizing behavior after the child was born. Results revealed three prenatal risk constellations: broad risk (7.52%), mental health risk (21.62%) and low-risk (70.86%). Membership in the broad risk group predicted lower scores on interactional quality, while membership in the mental health risk group predicted less favorable scores on all outcome measures. Prenatal risks clustered together in specific risk constellations that differentially related to parent, child and interactional outcomes.

Culture and gender influence self-construal in mother-preschooler reminiscing.

The present study examined how culture and gender influence the self-construal of mothers and their four-year-olds during dyadic reminiscing. Participants were 21 Thai (11 girls, 10 boys) and 21 American (10 girls, 11 boys) mother-child dyads. Thai dyads exhibited a more interdependent self-construal, whereas American dyads exhibited a more independent self-construal, as measured by personal and group pronoun usage and discussions of behavioral expectations, thoughts and feelings, and personal attributes. Girls and boys differed in the extent to which their self-construal was defined in relation to others in their social groups, for example girls mentioned teachers and classmates more than boys. Culture and gender also interacted in influencing self-construal, with Thai girls (but not boys) mentioning family members more than American counterparts. These findings suggest that the development of children's self-construal, particularly the extent to which children are socialized to view and express themselves independently of others or interdependently with others, differs depending on culture and gender. This work contributes to our understanding of the relationship between autobiographical memory and self during the formative years. Starting as early as preschool, our social environment influences the way we remember our experiences, which in turn shapes our self-construal.

Stability of Parenting Profiles in Early Childhood for African American Children in Households Experiencing Poverty.

Taking a person-centered approach, this study examined stability and change in profiles of parenting qualities observed at two times in early childhood in a sample of 146 mothers of African American children living in households experiencing poverty. Latent Profile Analysis (LPA) of six qualities of parenting rated from mother-child interactions at ages 2.5 and 3.6 years revealed four distinct parenting profiles characterized as Child-Oriented, Moderately Child-Oriented, Harsh-Intrusive, and Withdrawn at each age. Profile membership was fairly stable, with 41% classified similarly at both times. Moderately Child-Oriented was the least stable, with 24% of this group similarly classified at Time 2; 49-52% of each of the other three groups were classified similarly the second time, indicating their greater stability. Changes from Harsh-Intrusive to Withdrawn profiles or vice versa were rare (n = 3). To further address profile stability, Time 2 profile posterior probabilities were predicted in multiple regression models from Time 1 parenting profiles, with the child-oriented profile as reference group, Time 2 child externalizing and internalizing behavior problems, and cumulative risk. Results indicated Time 2 Withdrawn and Harsh-Intrusive profiles were significantly associated with Time 1 membership in their analogous profile but not with other Time 1 profiles, providing further evidence for stability and distinctiveness of these profiles. Only the Moderately Child-Oriented profile was associated with greater cumulative risk at Time 2; it was not related to any of the other Time 1 profiles. In addition, Withdrawn profile membership at Time 2 was associated with greater child internalizing and fewer externalizing problems. The Time 2 Child-Oriented profile was associated with less probability of membership in withdrawn or harsh-intrusive profiles at Time 1.

Changes in patterns of Early Mother-Child Interaction: A longitudinal study of the first 18 months of life.

OBJECTIVE: The main objective of the present longitudinal study is to describe the progression of early adult-child interactions between the first and second years of life. Changes identified in interactions are described, focusing on both the qualitative aspects of maternal responses, as well as maternal response latency to the child's behavior using a microanalytical methodology that collected data on maternal and child behavior in real-time without losing sight of the temporal dimension. PARTICIPANTS: This study examined 52 mother-child dyads from intact families that presented no psychological, social, or biological risk factors at 6, 12 and 18 months of age. INSTRUMENT: CITMI-R (early mother-child interaction coding system, revised edition) was used to assess early mother-infant interactions during free play sessions between mother and child the. RESULTS: The results indicate that some components of maternal sensitivity improve as children progress towards the second year of life, detecting an increase in sensitive maternal behavior and a decrease in intrusive behavior in the evolutive observed period; moreover, regarding latency of maternal response, we observed that mothers of older children give more time for their children to explore, which stimulates autonomy. Finally, the implication of these results for intervention directed to optimizing early adult-child interactions are addressed.

Association between childhood maltreatment and attachment disorganization in young adulthood: The protective role of early mother-child interactions.

BACKGROUND: Individuals who experience chronic relational trauma within the parent-child relationship are at risk of developing disorganized representations of attachment relationships in the form of Hostile-Helpless (HH) states of mind. While this association is well recognized theoretically, few studies to date have empirically tested predictors of HH states of mind. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to examine whether retrospective self-reports of maltreatment and the quality of mother-child affective communication assessed in childhood predict HH states of mind in young adulthood. METHODS: The sample was composed of 66 young adults from a low-income community sample, who had been taking part in a longitudinal project since they were preschoolers. RESULTS: Results indicate that childhood maltreatment experiences significantly predict HH states of mind and that the quality of mother-child affective communication serves a protective role in the association between childhood maltreatment severity and adult attachment disorganization. CONCLUSION: This study is one of the first to prospectively examine how the quality of mother-child affective communication in childhood relates to attachment disorganization in young adulthood. Our results highlight the importance of providing support to families in which the child is at risk of experiencing relational trauma, with a particular focus on improving the quality of parent-child interactions.

Are Maternal Self-Reports of Social Difficulties Apparent in Interactions with their Children?

To inform parent-mediated intervention models, this study assessed if family affectedness (i.e., elevated autism symptoms in more than one child) was associated with maternal self-reported social difficulties (as indexed by the Social Responsiveness Scale; SRS-2), and social interactions during play. As part of a prospective study, 71 mothers completed the SRS-2 and a play session. Interactions were coded for a range of prosocial behaviors, including gaze, positive affect, and vocalizations. Overall, mothers with multiple children exhibiting autism symptoms self-reported significantly more social difficulties on the SRS-2, when compared to mothers raising only typically developing children, or one child with autism. However, even with elevated SRS-2 scores, mothers with higher family affectedness demonstrated comparable social exchanges with their children during play.

The Effect of a Telehealth Intervention on Mother-Child's Feeding Interactions During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Purpose: This study evaluated the outcomes of a telehealth intervention aimed at enhancing exchanges in mother-child dyads who showed an impoverishment of the quality of their feeding interactions and a worsening of their psychopathological symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: N=334 mothers and their three-year-old children were recruited to assess their feeding interactions through an observational tool administered via a web platform, and maternal and offspring psychopathological symptoms were measured through the SCL/90-R and the CBCL 1.5-5. This study constitutes the third wave (T3) of a longitudinal research. Results: Our results showed that the intervention significantly improved the quality of mother-child feeding interactions. Moreover, mothers' psychopathological symptoms reduced after the intervention, especially in the interpersonal sensitivity, hostility, depression, anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive-compulsive subscales; offspring emotional/behavioral functioning and dysregulation symptoms also decreased, particularly in the subscales of withdrawn anxious/depressed attention problems and aggressive behavior. Conclusion: This study adds knowledge to the literature on COVID-19 pandemic effects on psychological health of parents and young children, proposing a method of intervention that had been effectively adopted previously but whose effectiveness had not been investigated during the pandemic.

Child diet and mother-child interactions mediate intervention effects on child growth and development.

This study examined whether child diet and mother-child interactions mediated the effects of a responsive stimulation and nutrition intervention delivered from 2009 to 2012 to 1324 children aged 0-24 months living in rural Pakistan. Results showed that the intervention improved children's cognitive, language and motor development through child diet and mother-child interactions. Although the intervention did not improve child growth or socio-emotional development, we observed positive indirect effects on child growth via child diet and on socio-emotional development via both child diet and mother-child interactions. In addition, child diet emerged as a shared mechanism to improve both child growth and development, whereas mother-child interactions emerged as a distinct mechanism to improve child development. Nevertheless, our results suggest the two mechanisms were mutually reinforcing and that interventions leveraging both mechanisms are likely to be more effective at improving child outcomes than interventions leveraging only one of these mechanisms.

Within- and between-family transactions of maternal depression and child engagement in the first 2 years of life: Role of prenatal maternal risk and tobacco use.

BACKGROUND: This study examined transactional associations among maternal depression, maternal sensitivity, and child engagement in the context of a low-income, diverse sample with maternal cigarette smoking during pregnancy (MSDP) as a moderator of these transactions. METHODS: A random-intercept cross-lagged panel model was used to investigate within- and between-family variability from infancy to toddlerhood. The sample included 247 mother-child dyads (47% girls; 51% African-American; 178 MSDP, 69 non-MSDP). Assessments were conducted once during each trimester of pregnancy and at 2, 9, 16, and 24 months of child ages. RESULTS: Between-family associations revealed that children exposed to higher levels of sensitive parenting across time had higher behavioral engagement from infancy to toddlerhood. At the within-family level, increased sensitive parenting at 9 months was predictive of increased child engagement at 16 months which in turn predicted increases in sensitive parenting at 24 months. Increased maternal depression was concurrently associated with lower maternal sensitivity at 2 months and lower child engagement at 16 months. Contrary to hypotheses, changes in maternal depression were not associated to changes in parenting or child engagement. These associations did not vary between prenatally smoking and nonsmoking mothers. However, there was significantly higher stability in maternal depression across time among nonsmoking mothers compared to those in the MSDP group. Additionally, increased maternal depression was related to lower-than-expected child engagement at 9 months only for the nonsmoking group. CONCLUSIONS: Results highlight transactional processes at the within-family level and the importance of timing for parent and child effects on transactional processes.

Incarcerated mothers' views of their children's experience: A qualitative study in French nurseries.

CONTEXT: In France, young children of incarcerated women live with their mothers in prison in specific units called nurseries, up to the age of 18 months. Only a few studies have examined the impact of this environment on these children. This study sought to explore through mothers' narratives how they perceive their children to experience this environment and how it affects their development. METHOD: We used semistructured interviews to collect the perceptions of 25 mothers about their children's experience of daily life in 12 different prison nurseries in France. Interpretative phenomenological analysis was used to explore the data. RESULTS: According to mothers, prison is a sensorially aggressive environment for children that may impair the children's sensory abilities. The children's and mothers' emotional perceptions of anger, sadness, insecurity and imprisonment intertwine. Prison is home for these children, which leads them to establish strong bonds with this inside world-prison staff, other inmates-but to develop reluctances and concern about exploring the outside world. CONCLUSION: The prison's sensorial environment may overlay the sensorial environment created by the mother, interfering with early mother-child interactions and leading to emotional misattunement. The gap between what the mother and the child each feel to be their home, and the social group they feel they belong to, causes pain to the mothers. This could alter their mandate of being a protective shield that could reduce the traumatic potential of the carceral environment on their babies. These mothers' sentences must be reconsidered for the sake of their children.

Maternal verbal scaffolding: association with higher language skills for 20-month-old children with prenatal polysubstance exposure.

BACKGROUND: The number of children with prenatal polysubstance exposure is increasing. Supportive mother-child interaction is a protective factor, which can ameliorate adverse effects of prenatal polysubstance exposure on developmental outcomes. AIM: To examine the role of maternal verbal scaffolding on cognitive and language development in children with prenatal polysubstance exposure. STUDY DESIGN: Pregnant women were recruited, and we prospectively followed mother-child dyads to 20 months of age. This analysis included 66 dyads (33 healthy controls and 33 with prenatal polysubstance exposure). Multivariable linear regression modelling was used to examine the cross-sectional association between maternal scaffolding and Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development (BSID-III) score, as well as an interaction between the study group and scaffolding score. OUTCOME MEASURES: The BSID-III cognitive and language score was used. Videotaped mother-child play was coded to obtain a maternal verbal scaffolding score. Effect sizes were measured using average differences in scores between groups. RESULTS: There was no evidence of an association between study group and maternal scaffolding scores. Children in the polysubstance exposure group had lower cognitive and language scores compared to controls, but this association was not statistically significant after controlling for maternal education. Maternal scaffolding was predictive of language scores, with scores increasing by 1.24 points on average (95% CI: 0.42, 2.06) for every 1-point increase in scaffolding score after adjustment for covariates. There was no evidence of a study group-by-scaffolding interaction with respect to the language or cognitive scores. CONCLUSIONS: Maternal scaffolding during play was associated with language development in children with and without prenatal polysubstance exposure.

Mother-child interactions during feeding: A study on maternal sensitivity in dyads with underweight and normal weight toddlers.

During the second year of life, mother's sensitivity in encouraging child autonomy supports children's emotional-affective individuation. In the feeding context, there is a clear transition from dependence on the mother to an emerging autonomy. Several studies have found an association between children's poor growth which is not related to organic pathologies, and maladaptive mother-child interactions that are characterized by poor maternal sensitivity. Despite this evidence, no studies have investigated maternal sensitivity to specific child's cues, such as demands for autonomy, during feeding interactions between mothers and their underweight children. This study aimed to assess how mothers' psychopathological risk and toddler's dysregulation profile are associated with mother-toddler interactional quality during feeding, with particular attention to mothers' sensitivity to child's specific cues (e.g. need of autonomy, requests for cooperation, request to stop the interaction, etc.). One hundred fifty mother-toddler dyads (N = 73 with underweight children and N = 77 with normal weight children) with children aged between 18 and 30 months, were recruited. Mother-toddlers feeding interactions were assessed through specific rating scales applied to the video-recorded interactions and mothers filled out questionnaires on children's emotional-behavioral functioning and their own psychopathological risk. Results showed a significant association between the quality of mother-toddler feeding interaction and children's weight. Underweight children showed less demand for autonomy and request for cooperation than normal weight children. Moreover, mothers of underweight children were less sensitive to toddler's cues of wanting to stop the interaction and demands for autonomy compared to mothers of normal weight children. Lower facilitations were associated with toddler's more dysregulated profile and with mother's higher psychopathological risk, and high toddler's dysregulation profile was associated with lower maternal sensitivity to child's cues of wanting to interrupt interactions and with worse mother's mood. Assessing maternal sensitivity in relation to toddler's specific cues might be particularly relevant in the feeding context. It might help to detect some dysfunctional interactive patterns and allow the implementation of prevention and treatment programs.

Maternal depressive symptoms and early childhood development: the role of mother-child interactions among mother-child dyads in rural areas of Central and Western China.

BACKGROUND: The associations among maternal depressive symptoms (MDS), mother-child interactions and early child development are poorly understood. This study aimed to explore the role of mother-child interactions on the associations between MDS and child development. METHODS: A cross-sectional study with a multistage sampling method was conducted in rural areas of Central and Western China. MDS, child development outcomes (communication, gross motor function, fine motor function, problem solving and personal social skills) and mother-child interactions were assessed by The Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale, the Chinese version of the Ages and Stages Questionnaires and the Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys, respectively. Regression-based statistical mediation and moderation were conducted using the PROCESS macro for SPSS. RESULTS: A total of 2,548 participants (mothers: 1,274; children: 1,274) were included in our analyses. MDS was negatively associated with child development outcomes and mother-child interactions partly mediated these associations. The proportion of the mediating effect of mother-child interactions was 7.7% for communication, 8.2% for gross motor, 10.3% for fine motor, 10.1% for problem-solving and 9.5% for personal social domains. In addition, the interaction effects of MDS and mother-child interactions on the communication domain were significant (ß = 0.070, 95% CI 0.016, 0.124; p = 0.011). The associations between MDS and child communication abilities were weaker at the high level (simple slope = -0.019, t =  - 0.458, p = 0.647) of mother-child interactions than at the mean level (simple slope = -0.089, t =  - 3.190, p = 0.002) and the low level (simple slope = -0.158, t =  - 4.231, p < 0.001). Similar moderating effects were not observed in the other child development outcomes. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest the important role of mother-child interactions on the associations between MDS and early childhood development. Due to the cross-sectional design of this study, these associations require further investigation in prospective studies.

The effects of home visiting on mother-child interactions: Evidence from a randomized trial using dynamic micro-level data.

BACKGROUND: Home visiting programs constitute an important policy to support vulnerable families with young children. One of their principal aims is to improve infant-parent relationships, so a key measure of their effectiveness is based on observational measures of parent-children interactions. In the present study we provide novel evidence on the effectiveness of home visiting programs in improving mother-child interactions within a randomized controlled trial (RCT) of the Pro Kind program. A major goal of the Pro Kind program is to promote child development by strengthening the intuitive parenting skills of mothers. On this basis, the following research question is addressed in this paper: What is the impact of the Pro Kind home visitation program on the quality of mother-child interaction? METHODS: A randomly chosen subsample of the original sample was selected to participate on video recordings. This subsample of 109 mother-child dyads was videotaped during a 3-min typical play situation at the participants' homes when the child was aged 25 months. We use a novel micro-coding system which allows us to examine how the intervention affected the dynamic feedback responses of both mothers and children in three key measures of behavior: orientation, positive contingency, and negative/lack of contingency. The analysis was conducted using a set of static probit models and dynamic cross-lagged panel probit models for each measure. RESULTS: The intervention significantly improved the interactions between girls and their mothers, by increasing the prevalence of orientation and positive contingency (and reducing that of negative/lack of contingency). This was achieved by increasing both the persistence of positive behaviors and also the probability of switching from negative to positive behaviors in the treatment group. Mixed impacts were detected for boys. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, it can be said that the Pro Kind program has a positive impact on the quality of mother-daughter interaction. However, our findings might also influence the design and delivery of home visiting programs, to the extent that they suggest that more attention has to be devoted to the interactions between boys and their mothers. Furthermore, the results show the importance of careful dynamic modelling of interactions data from videotaped observations to have a more complete understanding of the effectiveness of home visiting programs.

Associations between maternal technology use, perceptions of infant temperament, and indicators of mother-to-infant attachment quality.

BACKGROUND: Previous research suggests parents' use of technological devices, such as TV and mobile devices, within family contexts may decrease the quality of parent-child interactions. During early infancy, mothers report engaging with technological devices during infant feeding and care interactions, however, few studies have explored potential associations between maternal technology use and the quality of mother-to-infant attachment. AIM: To examine associations between maternal technology use during mother-infant interactions and indicators of mother-to-infant attachment during early infancy. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey. METHODS: Mothers (n = 332) of infants aged 2 to 6 months were recruited via MTurk, a crowdsourcing platform, to participate in an online survey. Participants responded to a series of validated questionnaires that assessed maternal technology use during mother-infant interactions (Maternal Distraction Questionnaire), infant temperament (Infant Behavior Questionnaire-Revised Very Short Form), and indicators of mother-to-infant attachment, including quality of attachment, absence of hostility toward motherhood, and pleasure in mother-infant interactions (Maternal Postnatal Attachment Questionnaire). RESULTS: Greater technology use during mother-infant interactions was significantly associated with greater infant negative affectivity (ß = 0.26, p < .0001). Greater technology use was also significantly associated with lower mother-to-infant attachment quality (ß = -0.21, p = .0001), and greater hostility toward motherhood (ß = -0.39, p < .0001). Associations between technology use and indicators of mother-to-infant attachment were not mediated by infant negative affectivity. CONCLUSIONS: Maternal technology use was associated with greater perceptions of infant negative affectivity and poorer mother-to-infant attachment quality; further research is needed to understand mechanisms underlying these associations.

Examining the role of mother-child interactions and DNA methylation of the oxytocin receptor gene in understanding child controlling attachment behaviors.

This study examined mother-child interactions and DNA methylation of the oxytocin receptor (OXTR) gene in the child, in relation with controlling-attachment behaviors at early preschool age. Maternal interactive behaviors were coded using the Emotional Availability Scales, and child attachment behaviors were assessed with the Separation-Reunion procedure and coded with the Preschool Attachment Rating Scales. DNA methylation data were captured from exon 3 of the OXTR. Results indicated that lower maternal sensitivity was associated with more controlling-caregiving behaviors, and that less maternal structuring was associated with more controlling-punitive behaviors. Hypomethylation of the OXTR gene was associated with greater maternal structuring behaviors, and with more child controlling-caregiving behaviors. The moderating role of the OXTR gene was examined in the association between interactive behaviors and child controlling behaviors, but no interaction effect was found. These results suggest that maternal interactive behaviors and OXTR methylation are independently associated with child controlling attachment.

Reframing the early childhood obesity prevention narrative through an equitable nurturing approach.

High-quality mother-child interactions during the first 2,000 days, from conception to age 5 years, are considered crucial for preventing obesity development during early life stages. However, mother-child dyads interact within and are influenced by broader socio-ecological contexts involved in shaping child development outcomes, including nutrition. Hence, the coexistence of both undernutrition and obesity has been noted in inequitable social conditions, with drivers of undernutrition and overnutrition in children sharing common elements, such as poverty and food insecurity. To date, a holistic life-course approach to childhood obesity prevention that includes an equitable developmental perspective has not emerged. The World Health Organization (WHO) Nurturing Care Framework provides the foundation for reframing the narrative to understand childhood obesity through the lens of an equitable nurturing care approach to child development from a life-course perspective. In this perspective, we outline our rationale for reframing the childhood narrative by integrating an equitable nurturing care approach to childhood obesity prevention. Four key elements of reframing the narrative include: (a) extending the focus from the current 1,000 to 2,000 days (conception to 5 years); (b) highlighting the importance of nurturing mutually responsive child-caregiver connections to age 5; (c) recognition of racism and related stressors, not solely race/ethnicity, as part of adverse child experiences and social determinants of obesity; and (d) addressing equity by codesigning interventions with socially marginalized families and communities. An equitable, asset-based engagement of families and communities could drive the transformation of policies, systems and social conditions to prevent childhood obesity.

Maternal scaffolding styles and children's developing narrative skills: A cross-cultural comparison of autobiographical conversations in the US and Thailand.

Cross-cultural differences in reminiscing styles between American and Thai mothers and their four-year-olds were examined. Twenty-one English monolingual and 21 Thai monolingual mother-child dyads participated in a Prompted Reminiscing task (Task 1). Children also completed a Child Personal Narrative task with the researcher (Task 2). Results from the first task revealed that dyads from the two cultures differed in the elaborateness of their conversations. American mothers adopted a high-elaborative style, characterized by greater use of evaluative feedback and scaffolding strategies including descriptions, extensions, labels, and recasts, compared to their Thai counterparts. Thai mothers adopted a low-elaborative style, evidenced by greater use of directives and requests for repetitions. Similar to their mothers, American children adopted a high-elaborative style compared to their Thai peers. Findings from the second task demonstrated that interlocutor scaffolding influences children's communicative styles. When reminiscing without their mother, American children produced longer narratives than their Thai peers. The present work suggested that maternal elicitation strategies differ across cultures and play a role in shaping children's developing narrative skills. By interacting with more competent social partners, particularly their mothers, children start to internalize culture-specific socialization goals and learn to converse in a culturally-appropriate way as early as preschool.