Poster #96 - Household chaos, caregiver sensitivity and the role of sensory sensitivity: an experimental design.

• In Event: 1-005 - Poster Session 01
  In Poster Session: PS 01 Section - Family Context & Processes

Integrative Statement

Previous research has linked higher levels of household chaos to less positive parenting, such as more anger, hostility and harsh parenting, and less joy and warmth in parent-child interactions (e.g., Coldwell, Pike & Dunn, 2006; Deater-Deckard, Wang, Chen & Bell, 2012). However, previous research used correlational designs, so that directionality is unclear. In this study, we used an experimental design in which levels of household chaos were manipulated to test the effect of household chaos on caregiver sensitivity. Moreover, as sensory sensitivity has been linked to the perception of household chaos (Wachs, 2013), we hypothesized that chaos would have a stronger effect on participants with high compared to low sensory sensitivity. Method: Ninety students (without children) of vocational or higher vocational education visited our lab twice, in which they took care of an infant simulator doll (Voorthuis et al., 2013) during three consecutive phases: taking care of the doll without competing demands (phase 1), taking care while answering a questionnaire (phase 2), and taking care while playing a game (phase 3). The lab was furnished like a living room. In the neutral condition the room was orderly and quiet and in the chaos condition it was cluttered, noisy and a bit smaller (order counterbalanced). Caregiver sensitivity for the infant simulator during the three phases was coded using the Ainsworth Sensitivity Scale (Ainsworth, Bell & Stayton, 1974). Sensory sensitivity was assessed with observations of the reaction to a bleep and the sounds of a creaking door and with multiple questionnaires: Adult Temperament Questionnaire – Orienting Sensitivity (Evans & Rothbart, 2007), Noise Sensitivity Scale (Weinstein, 1978), and Highly Sensitive Person Scale (Aron & Aron, 1997). Results: Using multilevel modeling in R, we found a small main effect of condition, which showed that on average caregiver sensitivity was lower in the chaos condition than in the neutral condition. Furthermore, we found a significant interaction between phase and sensory sensitivity on caregiver sensitivity (Figure 1). Caregiver sensitivity decreased faster over the course of the lab session for participants with low sensory sensitivity whereas participants with high sensory sensitivity had a slower decrease in caregiver sensitivity. Conclusion: Using an experimental design, we found evidence for a small, causal effect of household chaos on caregiver sensitivity with the infant simulator doll, with lower caregiver sensitivity in the chaos condition. According to these findings, chaotic surroundings might lead to less optimal parent-child interactions, which means reducing household chaos might be effective in promoting positive parent-child interactions. In addition, low sensory sensitive caregivers might be at risk of less optimal parenting behavior, which is consistent with findings of a lack of physiological reactivity in relation to cry paradigms in maltreating mothers (Reijman et al., 2015). Further research is needed to study whether these effects can be replicated in families with children and whether this pattern extends to disciplinary strategies such as harsh discipline and neglect.

Authors

• Suzanne Andeweg, Forensic Family and Youth Care Studies, Leiden University
  Presenting Author

• Mariëlle J.L. Prevoo, Leiden University
  Non-Presenting Author

• F. Fenne Bodrij, Institute of Education and Child Studies, Leiden University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Lenneke Alink, Leiden University
  Non-Presenting Author