Mothers’ emotional availability predicting kindergartners’ learning behavior: Screen time and child negative affectivity as mediators

• In Event: Poster Session 02
  In Poster Session: PS 02 Topic - Technology, Media & Child Development

Abstract

Transition to kindergarten is a manifold process of adaptation, and parenting quality is a main predictor of children’s adjustment. Importantly, however, screen use among young children is on the rise, and parental sensitivity and structuring around screen time has important implications for children’s cognitive and social development (Hu et al., 2018). Studies have found associations between excessive screen-time and children’s negative affectivity (Thompson et al., 2013). In addition, excessive screen time has been found to associated with learning behavior difficulties (Christakis et al., 2017). Lastly, we expected that a salient aspect of parenting competence during children’s bedtimes would be judicious monitoring and limiting, as needed, of screen use to avoid late bedtimes. Thus, the present study aimed to investigate direct and indirect effects of mothering quality on children’s learning behaviors as mediated by screen use and child negative affectivity, and whether the same pattern held before and after the start of kindergarten.
Data were drawn from a larger study examining family processes and kindergartner outcomes across the kindergarten transition year. A sub-sample of families with kindergarten aged children (N = 95) was utilized in the current study. Data were collected at home and school at four occasions: Summer, Fall, Winter and Spring. Mothers bedtime emotional availability was observed only during summer from the digital videos of mother-child bedtime interaction and assessed behaviorally using Biringen’s Emotional Availability (EA) Scales. Parents reported on their child’s activities the hour before bedtime for 7 days at all four occasions. Percent of time children screen time was calculated based on the total minutes in all activities. Child negative affectivity was also reported by mothers at all four occasions using Child Behavior Questionnaire Scale (Rothbart et al., 2001). Teachers reported on children’s academic task orientation using Learning Behaviors Scale (McDermott et al., 2002) at the last three occasions.
All paths for the serial mediation model are shown in Figure 1. The direct and indirect effects were computed using the bootstrapping procedure via the PROCESS macro in SPSS (Hayes, 2013). To capture the developmental effects of mothering quality and use of screen time on kindergartner school outcomes, a series of separate mediational models at different time points was utilized. The results showed significant mediational pathways only when using the screen time at pre-K but not when using screen time post-K period. Specifically, mothers who were more emotionally available at bedtime had children with lower screen use at pre-K, which in turn predicted lower levels of negative affectivity at fall and winter and more optimal learning behaviors at winter and spring (Table 1).
These findings suggest that parenting quality and use of screen time at pre-Kindergarten have longitudinal effects on children’s learning behaviors through child negative affectivity across the kindergarten year. These patterns were not replicated when using screen time after the start of kindergarten, suggesting that summer time routines and habits have lasting effects on children’s adjustment to kindergarten across the school year. This study has important implications for intervention programs aiming to improve adjustment to kindergarten.

Authors

• Ulziimaa Chimed-Ochir, Pennsylvania State University, University Park
  Presenting Author

• Corey Jean Whitesell, Pennsylvania State University, University Park
  Non-Presenting Author

• Liu Bai, Pennsylvania State University, University Park
  Non-Presenting Author

• Kaitlin Marie Trexberg, Pennsylvania State University, University Park
  Non-Presenting Author

• Douglas M Teti, The Pennsylvania State University
  Non-Presenting Author