Poster #104 - Triadic Interactions among Low-income Parents and Toddlers

• In Event: 2-110 - Poster Session 07
  In Poster Session: PS 07 Section - Family Context & Processes

Integrative Statement

Adaptive childhood development is rooted in complex and interacting environmental and biological systems. Family systems theory underscores the necessity of delineating the role of family-level processes on child development (Gallegos, Murphy, Benner, Jacobvitz, & Hazen, 2017), while one’s individual physiology affects how they structure, react, and respond to the caregiving environment (Beauchaine, 2015). Though sensitive caregiving in low-income and urban families supports childhood resilience, less is known of whole-family functioning, despite its relevance. To broaden our understanding of triadic functioning in low-income and urban contexts, this study utilized latent class analysis (LCA), a person-centered analytic approach, to examine if distinctive patterns of triadic interactions would emerge. Furthermore, analyses were conducted to explore if patterns of interactions would be differentially related to key variables, including: demographic risk, emotion regulation, and parasympathetic arousal (respiratory sinus arrhythmia-RSA).

This study (N = 92) describes data from mothers, fathers, and their toddlers (M age=28.3 months; 50% boys; 93% African American). Data were collected as part of a broader, ongoing study examining family resilience among urban children and their parents. Triadic interactions were obtained during a structured family drawing task (Cox, 1998; McHale, 1999). Coded behaviors included: familial cooperation, warmth, detachment, intrusiveness, and negativity (ICC = .72 to .85). Demographic risk was the summed presence of factors known to undermine family outcomes. Mothers and fathers reported on their own emotion dysregulation (EDS, Bradley et al., 2011), while toddler emotion regulation was observed during a frustrating task (ICC = .84 to .93). RSA was obtained and analyzed using the Mindware Audio Video System (Mindware Technologies, LTD, Westerville, OH). Resting RSA scores were calculated by averaging four 60-second epochs collected during a low-stress observation; lower levels reflect increased physiological risk (Porges, 2007).

Results from LCA analyses revealed three latent classes that were labeled based on patterns across variables: 1) sensitive/supportive (28%), 2) withdrawn families (54%), and 3) harsh families (18%), see Figure 1. A series of oneway ANOVA were then conducted to examine the effect of triadic functioning on key variables, including demographic risk, emotion regulation, and parasympathetic arousal, see Table 1. Across all variables assessed, significant effects of triadic functioning emerged for father resting RSA (F(2, 89) = 5.15, p = 0.01) and toddler resting RSA (F(2, 89) = 3.69, p = 0.03). Post hoc Tukey HSD comparisons indicated that average father RSA was higher in the sensitive/supportive class (M = 6.21) than the withdrawn class (M = 5.55). Similarly, average toddler RSA was higher in the sensitive/supportive class (M = 4.96) than in the harsh class (M = 4.22).

Strengths of this study include characterizing triadic interactions among families in low-income and urban contexts. Contrary to expectations, demographic and psychological variables did not appear to differentiate among classes of families. However, sensitive/supportive family classes included fathers and toddlers with more optimal resting RSA. Together, findings provide support for family-level models that function at observed and physiological levels of analysis and importantly, suggest multiple pathways for future study.

Authors

• Patricia Richardson, Stanford University School of Medicine
  Presenting Author

• Giovanna Savastano, Wayne State University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Hasti Raveau, Wayne State University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Lucy (Kathleen) McGoron, Wayne State University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Erika London Bocknek, Wayne State University
  Non-Presenting Author