Tuning in to Kids: An effectiveness trial of a parenting program targeting emotion socialization of preschoolers.

Abstract

This article reports on an effectiveness trial of the Tuning in to Kids (TIK) parenting program. TIK aims to improve emotion socialization practices in parents of preschool children; it is a universal prevention program that teaches parents the skills of emotion coaching and also targets parents' own emotion awareness and regulation. The present study followed a 2 ϫ 2 (Treatment Condition ϫ Time) design. One hundred twenty-eight parents of children ages 4.0 -5.11 years were recruited from preschools and randomized into intervention and waitlist conditions. Parents in the intervention condition (n ϭ 62) attended a six-session group parenting program delivered by community practitioners who followed intervention fidelity protocols. Parents and preschool teachers completed questionnaires twice during the preschool year: at preintervention and at follow-up (approximately 7 months later). Parents reported on their emotion socialization beliefs and practices, other parenting practices, and on child behavior. Teachers reported on child behavior (Social Competence and Anger-Aggression). Data were analyzed using multilevel modeling. At follow-up, compared to the control group, intervention parents were significantly less emotionally dismissive in their beliefs, less dismissive and more coaching in their practices in response to children's negative emotions, and more positively involved. Although there were improvements in both conditions over time for parent-reported child behavior and teacher-reported social competence, compared to the waitlist group, intervention parents reported a significantly greater reduction in number of behavior problems. This trial demonstrates the potential for community agencies and practitioners in real-world settings to deliver a new parenting program that targets emotional communication in parent-child relationships.

Factors that Influence Parents’ Meta-Emotion Approaches: Implications for Families

“…Therefore, the findings from this study has significant implications for families as a whole, in terms of their roles and how they may influence children's brain anatomy as well as social and emotional development. As previous research has indicated, the types of meta-emotion approaches parents adopt may influence children's emotion regulation abilities and social competence skills (Lunkenheimer & Cortina, 2007;Wilson et al, 2012).…”

“…The types of meta-emotion approaches parents adopt are quite significant, as they have been found to be associated with children's socialization and emotion regulation abilities (Lunkenheimer & Cortina, 2007;Wilson et al, 2012). Children's abilities to regulate their emotions is associated with executive functions in their brains, which are also responsible for higher level thinking processes, such as attention, inhibitions of negative emotions, and memory (Graziano, Reavis, Keane, & Calkins, 2007).…”

“…The ways in which children gain skills to regulate their emotions is associated with guidance provided by their caregivers (Lunkenheimer & Cortina, 2007;Wilson et al, 2012). For example, parents exhibiting an emotion coaching meta-emotion approach may provide positive guidance if they see their child expressing their negative emotions in a physical, aggressive manner.…”

“…Although all these variables have been examined from the perspective of parenting research, additional research is needed in this field to further examine the impact of education, outside parental support, and parental stress, and how they all might affect the types of meta-emotion approaches parents exhibit towards their children. These factors are important to investigate, since meta-emotion approaches have been found to affect children's social and emotional development by directly influencing children's abilities to regulate their emotions (Wilson et al, 2012).…”

Parents Dealing with the Expression of Sadness by their Children

“…When the emotional atmosphere is negative, the child can become reactive and emotionally insecure (Morris et al, 2007). Nevertheless, parental training for handling the emotions of the children has shown positive results (Wilson, Havighurst, & Harley, 2012), indicating that the influence of parents on the child's RE can be adjusted.…”