Bidirectional Associations Among Sensitive Parenting, Language Development, and Social Competence

Abstract

Rapid changes in language skills and social competence, both of which are linked to sensitive parenting, characterize early childhood. The present study examines bidirectional associations among mothers’ sensitive parenting and children’s language skills and social competence from 24 to 36 months in a community sample of 174 families. In addition, this study examines how these developmental pathways vary by child sex. Findings indicate stability across time in sensitive parenting, expressive language skills, and social competence, as well as positive main effects of sensitive parenting on expressive and receptive language skills for girls and boys. We find mixed evidence over time of reciprocal links between social competence and sensitive parenting. Further, boys’ receptive language skills at 24 months uniquely contribute to increases in mothers’ observed sensitive parenting from 24 to 36 months. These findings highlight the utility of applying transactional frameworks to the study of sex-based differences in early developmental processes.

Parental brain‐derived neurotrophic factor genotype, child prosociality, and their interaction as predictors of parents’ warmth

“…Various factors have been shown to affect parental warmth, such as heritability (Klahr & Burt, 2014); the parent's personality (Prinzie, Stams, Deković, Reijntjes, & Belsky, 2009); the child's behavior (Barnett, Gustafsson, Deng, Mills‐Koonce, & Cox, 2012); and socioeconomic status (SES), race, and a dangerous neighborhood (Pinderhughes, Nix, Foster, & Jones, 2001). However, there is limited knowledge about which specific genes the heritability estimate represents, how the factors that affect warmth interact, how they affect differential parenting, and how they affect fathers, as most of the research to date has been done on mothers.…”

“…However, there is limited knowledge about which specific genes the heritability estimate represents, how the factors that affect warmth interact, how they affect differential parenting, and how they affect fathers, as most of the research to date has been done on mothers. We focused on the genetic and child behavior factors and examined how children's prosocial behavior, which has been shown to elicit positive parenting (Barnett et al., 2012; Newton, Laible, Carlo, Steele, & McGinley, 2014; Padilla‐Walker, Carlo, Christensen, & Yorgason, 2012), may differentially affect paternal and maternal warmth according to the parent's genotype. In other words, we were interested in investigating whether children's prosocial behavior would be more likely to affect certain parents, who may be more sensitive to environmental cues as a result of their genetic makeup.…”

“…While attention has somewhat shifted to include child influences in the study of socialization, most of the focus has been on negative child behaviors. Studies that did examine the bidirectionality of the association between positive parenting and prosocial behavior, have found evidence of child influences (Barnett et al., 2012; Carlo et al., 2011; Newton et al., 2014). Yet, depending on parental characteristics, some parents may be more or less susceptible to their child's behavior.…”

Expressive language and prosocial behaviour in early childhood: Longitudinal associations in the UK Millennium Cohort Study

“…For example, two recent longitudinal studies using community samples of toddlers revealed different patterns of results, whereby one study found significant direct associations from better overall language at 14 months to increased prosocial behaviour at 36 months (e.g., Rhee et al, 2013), whereas Barnett et al, (2012), found no direct associations between language and prosocial behaviour in either direction between 24 and 36 months.…”

“…Further, Barnett et al, (2012) used a combined measure of children's prosocial and compliance behaviour. In order to advance the current state of knowledge surrounding possible associations, onset of associations and processes implicated, more longitudinal studies commencing in the late toddler years that examine the unique contribution of specific language processes are required.…”