Parent-Child Relationship Quality Among Dyads with Infants and Toddlers Experiencing Family Homelessness

• In Event: Parent Contributions to the Coordination of Emotions, Behaviors, and Physiology Among Parent-Child Dyads

Abstract

Infants and toddlers who experience family homelessness show elevated rates of developmental delays as well as later academic difficulties and mental health problems compared to non-homeless peers (Fantuzzo & Perlman, 2010; Haskett et al., 2016; Herbers et al., 2019). Risk factors in the context of family homelessness are numerous, including chronic risks associated with extreme poverty as well as acute risks related to specific homeless episodes (Haskett & Armstrong, 2019; Cutuli & Herbers, 2014). Research on resilience in older children who experience homelessness indicates the potential for positive, nurturing parenting to protect healthy development despite the associated risks (Herbers et al., 2014; Masten et al., 1993). In order to support resilience in the development of young children in these contexts, it is necessary to better understand the processes through which risks associated with poverty and homelessness may threaten positive parent-child relationships.

Participants were 75 mother-child dyads recruited while residing in five emergency shelters in Philadelphia. Children (62% male) in the sample ranged in age from 1 to 33 months (M = 11.00, SD = 9.01) with mothers ages 17-43 years (M = 27.5, SD = 6.12). Most of the mothers (75%) were African American. At the initial assessment, mothers completed structured interviews including demographic information, questions about adverse life experiences using the Lifetime Life Events Questionnaire (Masten et al., 1993), and current symptoms of internalizing distress with the Hopkins Symptom Checklist (HSCL-25; Derogatis et al., 1974). Parent-infant dyads also completed 15-minute free play interactions that were video-recorded for later observational coding. Raters assessed quality of the parent-child relationship with global scales based on mutual dyadic responsiveness (Aksan et al., 2006) and parental intrusiveness (Biringen, 2000) with good interrater reliability (ICCs > .70). Study measures were repeated at a second assessment (T2) occurring about two months after the first (T1). Fourteen of the dyads in the study participated in a brief parenting intervention that is not the focus of these analyses.

Using path analysis, we examined the longitudinal associations among parent distress, mutual responsiveness, and parental intrusiveness. We included parents’ adversity history, child age in months, and intervention participation as covariates in initial models. Child age did not contribute significantly to model fit and was thus excluded in the final model to preserve statistical power (see Figure 1). We modeled all paths from T1 to T2 measures and allowed T1 predictors to covary. Results indicate significant continuity in parent distress, responsiveness, and intrusiveness across the two-months. At T1, there were significant associations between parent distress and parent adversity (β=.28, p=.01) and responsiveness and intrusiveness (β=-.37, p<.01). Furthermore, parent distress at T1 predicted lower responsiveness at T2 (β=-.29, p=.04) while parent history of adversity predicted higher intrusiveness at T2 (β=.30, p=.03). In summary, parent internalizing distress and parent history of adverse experiences were both relevant to changes in different aspects of parent-child relationship quality.

Authors

• Janette E. Herbers, Villanova University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Kristin Jennings, Villanova University
  Presenting Author

• J. J. Cutuli, Nemours Children’s Health System
  Non-Presenting Author

• Maria Y Abdul-Masih, Ohio State University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Aarti Bodas, Boston University
  Non-Presenting Author