Poster #80 - Longitudinal Associations among Mother-Father Intimacy, Father-Child Relationship, and Child’s Social Skills Development in Middle Childhood

• In Event: Poster Session 11

Abstract

Children with adaptive social skills development are able to build secure relationships with others, identify, manage, and express their emotions properly, and explore the world confidently (Yates et al., 2008). Children’s social skills development is critical for academic and relational functioning throughout adulthood (Jones et al., 2015). Mother-father emotional intimacy and higher quality of father-child relationship are linked to a better social skills development in children (Fernandes, 2020; Ramos et al., 2022). However, previous studies focused on maternal factors or father absence in the investigation of parental roles for child’s social skills development (e.g., Mason et al., 2011). Guided by family systems theory (Kerr & Bowen, 1988), this study examined the longitudinal associations among mother-father emotional intimacy, positive father-child relationship, and child’s social skills in middle childhood.
Data drawn from a national longitudinal study was used. Participants (N=1,222) included 705 boys (51.6%) and 76% identified as White, non-Hispanic. Majority of mothers were married (76.5%) and young (M=28.1 years). A total of 482 mothers (35.3%) and 490 fathers/partners (35.9%) had at least a bachelor’s degree. The mean of household income is $30,000 (SD=$33,880). Mother-father emotional intimacy was measured by the Personal Assessment of Intimacy in Relationships (Shaefer & Olson, 1981) reported by both parents at child aged 54 months and Grade 1. Fathers reported positive father-child relationship using the Child-Parent Relationship Scale (Pianta, 1992) from Grade 1 to 6. Child’s social skills was measured by the Social Skills Rating System (Gresham & Elliott, 1990) reported by both parents from Grade 1 to 6.
A random intercept cross-lagged panel model (RI-CLPM) was used to separate between-family mean and within-family associations of positive father-child relationship and child social skills development from Grade 1 to 6. An additional latent variable was created using mother-father emotional intimacy at 54 months and Grade 1 (from both parents) and included as a predictor to both processes. The model fit was good, χ2(93) = 386.45, p = .00; RMSEA = .06 (CI.90 = .05-.06); CFI = .96; SRMR = .06. Children’s sex, race, maternal marital status, and family income-to-needs ratio were included as covariates. On the within-family level, child social skills at Grade 3 and Grade 5 predicted positive father-child relationship at Grade 4 and Grade 6, respectively. Positive father-child relationship at Grade 4 and Grade 5 predicted better child social skills in the subsequent wave. Mother-father emotional intimacy at 54 months and Grade 1 predicted child social skills at Grade 3 and positive father-child relationship at Grade 6. On the between-family level, mother-father intimacy predicted the overall levels (i.e., the random intercepts) of child social skills and father-child relationship across time points.
The study highlighted the important roles of mother-father emotional intimacy and father-child relationship in child social skills development during childhood. Findings furthered the current knowledge of effects of parental factors and familial subsystems on child social skills development. The study can also inform the development of systemic interventions for families of young children.

Authors

• Soojin Han, Florida State University
  Presenting Author

• Qiong Wu, Florida State Univeristy

• Karina Jalapa, Florida State University

• Dania Tawfiq, Florida State University

• Cho Rong Lee, Florida State University

• Kinsey Pocchio, Florida State University