Toddler Socioemotional Behavior in a Northern Plains Indian Tribe: Associations With Maternal Psychosocial Well-Being

Abstract

M.C. Sarche, C.D. Croy, C. Big Crow, C. Mitchell, and P. Spicer (2009) provided first-ever information relating the socioemotional development of American Indian toddlers to the immediate context of their mothers' lives. The current study sought to replicate and build on their earlier work by examining the impact of additional maternal risk factors, identified in previous research with non-American Indian populations, on the development of American Indian toddlers: maternal depression, negative social influences, and mother's feelings of isolation. At 27 months, American Indian mothers (N = 110) completed the Parent Demographic Questionnaire, which measured maternal psychosocial characteristics (e.g., depressed affect, social support, drug and alcohol use, isolation) and demographics. Mothers also completed the Infant-Toddler Social Emotional Assessment (A.S. Carter & M.J. Briggs-Gowan, 2006) and the Parent-Child Dysfunctional Interaction subscale of the Parenting Stress Index (R.R. Abidin, 1995, 1997). Some results replicated the original study, but others did not. Reports of a dysfunctional mother-child relationship related to externalizing and internalizing problems, replicating the earlier study. This study also found associations between a dysfunctional mother-child relationship and socioemotional competence as well as dysregulation. The previous finding of a relationship between American Indian identity and socioemotional competence was supported. Adding the effects of maternal depressed affect and isolation significantly increased prediction of toddler behavior problems.

American Indian and Alaska Native Boys: Early Childhood Risk and Resilience Amidst Context and Culture

“…In addition to early cognitive and academic skill development, studies have looked at AIAN children's early socioemotional development (Frankel et al., ; Sarche, Croy, Crow, Mitchell, & Spicer, ). Both Sarche et al.…”

“…() and Frankel et al. () found that a larger percentage of young AIAN children (ages 12–36 months) were rated in the “of concern” range on the externalizing and competence domains of the Infant Toddler Social Emotional Assessment compared to the normative sample (ITSEA; Carter & Briggs‐Gowan, ). Between 14.1% (Frankel et al.)…”

“…() and Frankel et al. () explored maternal‐, relational‐, and child‐level predictors of socioemotional competencies and problems. Across both studies, maternal ratings of dysfunction in the parent–child relationship (as measured by the Parent–Child Dysfunctional Interaction subscale of the Parenting Stress Index) were related to children's externalizing and internalizing symptoms.…”

Native American children and school readiness: A nationally representative study of individual and cumulative risks

“…Research suggests AIAN children struggle to meet reading and math proficiency standards during formal schooling (Moran et al, 2008;National Center for Education Statistics, 2016;Perie, Grigg, & Donahue, 2005), and report higher rates of school absences, dropping out, and identification in special education than other students (DeVoe, Darling-Churchill & Snyder, 2008;Hibel et al, 2008;National Center for Education Statistics, 2016). These educational and wellbeing disparities are manifested as early as kindergarten entry (Frankel et al, 2014;Marks & Garcia Coll, 2007;Mitchell et al, 2011;Sarche et al, 2009) and often persist into adulthood. For instance, AIAN adults are more likely to exhibit problem drinking behaviors, commit suicide, become teen parents and experience negative labor market outcomes such as unemployment and reduced labor force participation rates (Espey et al, 2014;National vital statistics, 2003;Ogunwole, 2006;Olson & Wahab, 2006).…”

Padrões organizacionais familiares de crianças que convivem com a depressão materna

“…Considera-se que tais eventos adversos podem afetar as famílias tanto a nível intra-sistêmico, quanto em nível inter-sistêmico, exigindo delas, necessidades de ajuste e manutenção do equilíbrio, como proposto por Volling et al (2009). Tal dado corrobora outros estudos que ressaltaram que a exposição recorrente à depressão parental aumentou os riscos do aparecimento de sintomas depressivos nos filhos (Mikkonen et al, 2016), que os sintomas melancólicos das mães mostraram-se associados à depressão infantil (Shannon et al, 2007), que a depressão materna, por si só, caracterizou-se como preditora do surgimento de transtornos de depressão e ansiedade dos filhos (Pilowsky et al, 2006), além de se mostrar associada a mais problemas de internalização, disfunções na regulação das emoções e das competências socioemocionais, como relatado no estudo realizado por Frankel et al (2014).…”