Thesis (Ph.D.)--Boston University / PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis or dissertation. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you. / This study was designed to investigate whether individuals with neurodermatitis would demonstrate in their fantasies and conscious descriptions of parent-child interactions specific patterns of parent-child relationships not shown to be present to a significant degree in either a group of symptom-free control subjects or a group of emotionally disturbed subjects, without psychosomatic disorders. The hypotheses of the study were stated in tenus of testable predictions. The first prediction was that neurodermatitis, as represented by a sample of college student patients, is associated with fantasies of high maternal Affection and Control, and with fantasies of low paternal Affection and Control. The second prediction was that neurodermatitis, as represented by a sample of college student: patients, is associated with the conscious reporting of high maternal Casual and Loving behavior, and with the conscious reporting of high paternal Demanding behavior [TRUNCATED]. / 2031-01-01

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Attachment Theory posits that the caregiver has primary responsibility in fostering attachment security; however, children play increasingly active roles in shaping the quality of interactions as they grow beyond infancy (Bowlby, 1969). There has been limited research on transactional relationships between caregivers and children and their associations with attachment. While Interpersonal Theory has historically been utilized to understand adult interpersonal interactions and their associations with relationship quality, it may provide an avenue to explore parent-child transactional processes. Within Interpersonal Theory, interactions can be categorized as complementary and non-complementary. Yet, these unidimensional constructs make it impossible to determine the relative effects of when complementarity and non-complementarity have positive or negative valences. As such, this study investigated 143 mother–preschooler dyads (64 Child Maltreatment [CM] dyads and 79 non-CM dyads) to examine the associations between variations in two novel types complementarity and non-complementarity and attachment security. Positive complementarity included interactions that were warm and affiliative that elicited the same responses in return. Negative complementarity included interactions that were hostile and aversive that elicited those same responses in return. Positive non-complementarity was characterized by warm and affiliative parent behaviors and child hostile and rejecting behaviors. Negative non-complementarity was characterized by disaffiliative and hostile parent behaviors and warm and affiliative child behaviors. Separate logistic regression analyses revealed that positive complementarity and positive non-complementarity were significantly associated with an increased likelihood of secure attachment. Negative complementarity and negative non-complementarity were not significantly associated with an increased likelihood of insecure attachment. Results suggest that the positive valences of complementarity and non-complementarity are associated with attachment security, such that children in dyads where mothers maintained warm and affiliative behaviors with their child, whether the child was connecting and trusting the mother or withdrawing and sulking, were more likely to be securely attached. Thus, a mother’s ability to display positive and sensitive behaviors during moment-to-moment interactions with their child regardless of child’s response is important to a child’s attachment security.

The purpose of this investigation was to (a) use the positive routines procedure to decrease child noncompliance and the time it takes the child to comply (latency) at bedtime, (b) to assess treatment fidelity, and (c) to record objectively parent behavior. Research was conducted with four children and five parents in their homes. The treatment was explained to each parent and introduced to each child after the baseline phase. Positive routines requires the parent to implement a low-stimulation “routine” at the time the child naturally gets sleepy. The routine gradually begins earlier so that by the end of treatment, it is completed at the time the parent originally attempted to establish bedtime. The data reveal that with high treatment fidelity, the treatment was effective in reducing bedtime noncompliance, latency, and parental reinforcing behaviors. The data also supported the notion that parent behavior can be controlled by child behavior.

This thesis is an investigation of rules which are historically conceptualized as static and unidirectional constructs strictly enforced by parents. This behavioural perspective is focused on parents as active agents and children immediately obey parental requests (Patterson, 1982). In contrast, a developmental perspective was used in this study in which rules are flexible and coconstructed by parents and children (Parkin & Kuczynski, 2012). Forty families participated in open-ended interviews; each family had one child between the ages of eight and thirteen. A thematic analysis was conducted and results suggested that rules were constructed by a bidirectional process in which parents and children were active agents. Parents most commonly perceived the rules to be flexible, coregulated and inherent - few parents described firm and explicit rules. Rules were developed by negotiation, based on the child’s development and by accommodating external influences. Leeway was an inherent, expected component of parent-child interactions

Children's difficulties with regulating or controlling emotion are associated with externalizing problems (Eisenberg et al., 2001). Emotion regulation develops through interactions with caregivers during childhood, where children are socialized about the management and expression of emotions (Kopp, 1989). The parent-child relationship is thus one factor associated with children's externalizing problems and, to date, research on children’s externalizing problems has focused on relationships with parental emotion socialization and parent-child emotions (Granic & Lamey, 2002; Lengua, 2006). However, parent-child co-regulation— the bidirectional process whereby individuals mutually regulate emotions with others (Fogel, 1993)— is also likely a proximal factor in children's externalizing problems. Over time, dyadic patterns emerge and are reinforced through co-regulation, and children develop regulated or dysregulated emotional patterns with their parents (Granic & Lamey, 2002). Co-regulation is also likely related to differences in externalizing symptomatologies, as dyads with children with co-occurring externalizing and internalizing problems (MIXED) show more mutual hostility over the course of a conflict than dyads with purely externalizing children (EXT; Granic & Lamey, 2002). The current study examined co-regulation in 255 parent-child dyads, of which 80 had EXT children (73% male), 111 had MIXED children (87% male), and 64 had typically-developing children (63% male). Children were between the ages of 8 and 12 (M = 9.56). Behaviours during positive and conflict discussions were coded with a new observational tool, the Co-Regulation of Emotion (CORE) coding system. CORE's validity was supported with associations with independent raters’ impressions of the interactions. Generally, co-regulation was higher during the conflict as compared to the positive discussions, as expected. Contrary to hypotheses, dyads with EXT and MIXED children did not show more non-supportive co-regulation than dyads with typically-developing children, and dyads with typically-developing children did not show more supportive co-regulation. Similarly, group differences on the association between interaction partners' supportive and non-supportive co-regulation and negative affect were not significant. Overall, MIXED dyads did not show more non-supportive co-regulation than EXT dyads, as had been expected. The findings did not support the hypothesis that emotion co-regulation differentiates dyads with externalizing children from dyads with typically-developing children in middle childhood. / Thesis (Master, Psychology) -- Queen's University, 2012-08-07 11:41:10.329

This study explored the potential impact of child temperament and daycare on behavior problems and parental sensitivity. It was expected that children with more "difficult" temperaments would exhibit more behavior problems and have less sensitive parents when experiencing high amounts of daycare. Measures from 60 families involved in the Southern Illinois Twins and Siblings Study (SITSS) were examined. Results indicated that highly active children exhibited more externalizing behaviors when experiencing less daycare. Shy children experiencing more daycare had more sensitive parents. Additionally, a temperamental difference between co-twins was related to differential parental sensitivity. Lastly, DZ co-twins were more temperamentally different when experiencing high amounts of daycare. These results demonstrate that daycare does seem to affect children; however, the specific effect depends on the child's temperament. Additionally, temperament is an important factor when examining parental sensitivity shown to twins and when determining how MZ and DZ twins react to daycare.

The aims of this research were to 1) demonstrate the validity of using a personally-worn micro-camcorder (PWMC) method to assess in-store parent-child food-purchasing interactions and environmental factors related to these behaviors; 2) examine the relationship between child at-home TV-exposure, home food availability/accessibility, parent dietary modeling, and child-feeding style with the healthfulness of child in-store food purchasing requests; and 3) examine the relationship between parent weight status, parent diet quality, food purchasing intentions, perceived relative cost of healthy food, and the use of nutrition facts labels with the healthfulness of parent responses to child in-store food purchasing requests. A total sample of 40 parent-child dyads completed the study. Parents were a mean age of 36.5 years (±6.3), and children were a mean age of 3.8 years (±1.1). Dyads were met at their usual grocery store and shopping time. Children wore a micro-camcorder or eButton on a hat to capture what they saw. Parents also completed a questionnaire about nutrition behaviors and the home food environment based on validated questions from the literature. Coded personally worn micro-camcorder (PWMC) data were highly correlated (rho = 0.345-0.911, p<0.01) with in-person observational data for assessing in-store behavioral and environmental factors, and the method demonstrated a high degree of reliability for assessing purchasing decisions compared to receipt data (Cohen's kappa = 0.787). Also, inter-rater reliability for assessing environmental/behavioral variables ranged from moderate to almost perfect (Cohen's kappa = 0.466-0.937). Children whose parents reported high levels of unhealthy dietary modeling had lower odds of a food request being healthy (OR=0.50, P=0.021), and having parents who report non-directive child-feeding had increased odds of a request being healthy (OR=1.66, P=0.028). Healthy weight parents were more likely to make healthy responses to child food purchasing requests than overweight/obese parents (OR=2.06, P=0.022). Behavioral interventions that seek to improve the healthfulness of food purchasing in families with young children should include components to promote non-directive feeding styles, discourage unhealthful dietary modeling, provide additional resources to target overweight/obese parents' responses to child requests, and use the PWMC method for efficient measurement of these behaviors. / text

This paper examines the role of attachment beliefs and parenting behaviors on the association between maternal and child anxiety in a community sample of mothers and their children aged 6-17 (N = 89). Maternal anxiety was assessed through the SCL-90 & STAI-T. Child anxiety was assessed through the RCMAS-C, STAIC-T, RCMAS-P, & CBCL. Attachment beliefs were assessed through the Experiences in Close Relationships (maternal) and the Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment (child). Parenting behaviors were assessed through the Alabama Parenting Questionnaire and the Children's Report of Parent Behavior Inventory. Significant associations were found between maternal and child anxiety, attachment beliefs, and parenting. Multiple regression analysis indicated that Anxious Attachment Beliefs and Parental Involvement appeared to mediate the association between maternal and child anxiety. Findings are discussed in terms of elucidating the role of attachment beliefs and parenting behaviors on the association between maternal and child anxiety.

Research has shown that parents of children with autism report higher stress than parents of children with other developmental disabilities. It has been suggested that parent training programs, specifically naturalistic social-communication training, can reduce parental stress and enhance the quality of the parent-child relationship. Although the development of a multilevel assessment has been suggested, much of the research in this area has relied on measures of parent implementation fidelity and specific child target skills such as vocal communication, eye contact, and joint attention. Few have directly measured the parent-child interaction. The purpose of the current study is to examine the effects of an in-home parent training package for toddlers with autism on parent-child social interactions. Within this package, parents are taught to attend to contextual variables, to arrange the environment to set the occasion for child responding, to respond immediately to targeted child approximations, and to respond in ways that are mutually reinforcing, social, and fun. Data were collected during 5-min video-taped assessments, on the number of parent teaching episodes, child target skills (turn taking and social attending), engagement, and synchronous engagement. Results were evaluated in a multiple baseline design across two parent-child dyads and indicated increases in all measures. This study contributes to the current discussion on toddler parent-training programs and extends it in a way that highlights the benefits of using a multi-level assessment to measure the parent-child interaction.