Mother-infant interactions with first-born versus later children: How do they interact and what factors influence those interactions
Class
Article
Graduation Year
2018
College
Emma Eccles Jones College of Education and Human Services
Department
Family, Consumer, and Human Development Department
Faculty Mentor
Lori Roggman
Presentation Type
Oral Presentation
Abstract
Mother-infant interactions are important for early development. Factors that can influence how a mother interacts with her infant include whether the mother is interacting with her first child or a later child (Fleming et al., 1987), maternal depression (Paulson et al., 2006), parenting stress (Coyl et al., 2002), knowledge of child development (Huang et al., 2005), and family risk factors (single parenthood, teen parenthood, educational attainment, school enrollment/employment status, public assistance). This study aims to investigate how demographic, risk, and psychosocial factors influence how mothers interact with their first- or later-born infants.
Extant longitudinal data from the U.S. Early Head Start Research & Evaluation Project, a study of infants (n=2,674) and their parents, were used to examine parents and factors that affect interaction quality. Mothers reported family risk at enrollment. At infant age 14 months, mothers reported parenting distress using the Parenting Stress Index (Abidin, 1995), child development knowledge using the Knowledge of Infant Development Inventory (MacPhee, 1981), and depression using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (Ross et al., 1983). Parent-infant interactions were coded at infant ages 14, 24, and/or 36 months using the Parenting Interactions with Children: Checklist of Observations Linked to Outcomes (Roggman et al., 2013).
Bivariate correlations showed that parent-infant interaction quality has significant negative associations with parenting a first-born, risk, depression, and distress and a significant positive association with knowledge of child development. Correlations for risk, depression, distress, and child development knowledge remained significant when controlling for whether the parent was interacting with a first-born. Regression analyses indicate that risk mediates the effect of parenting a first-born on interaction quality controlling for child sex, depression, distress, and knowledge.
These results indicate that parenting a first-born is somewhat different than parenting a later child. This may be partially the consequence of differing resources and support.
Location
Room 204
Start Date
4-13-2017 1:30 PM
End Date
4-13-2017 2:45 PM
Mother-infant interactions with first-born versus later children: How do they interact and what factors influence those interactions
Room 204
Mother-infant interactions are important for early development. Factors that can influence how a mother interacts with her infant include whether the mother is interacting with her first child or a later child (Fleming et al., 1987), maternal depression (Paulson et al., 2006), parenting stress (Coyl et al., 2002), knowledge of child development (Huang et al., 2005), and family risk factors (single parenthood, teen parenthood, educational attainment, school enrollment/employment status, public assistance). This study aims to investigate how demographic, risk, and psychosocial factors influence how mothers interact with their first- or later-born infants.
Extant longitudinal data from the U.S. Early Head Start Research & Evaluation Project, a study of infants (n=2,674) and their parents, were used to examine parents and factors that affect interaction quality. Mothers reported family risk at enrollment. At infant age 14 months, mothers reported parenting distress using the Parenting Stress Index (Abidin, 1995), child development knowledge using the Knowledge of Infant Development Inventory (MacPhee, 1981), and depression using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (Ross et al., 1983). Parent-infant interactions were coded at infant ages 14, 24, and/or 36 months using the Parenting Interactions with Children: Checklist of Observations Linked to Outcomes (Roggman et al., 2013).
Bivariate correlations showed that parent-infant interaction quality has significant negative associations with parenting a first-born, risk, depression, and distress and a significant positive association with knowledge of child development. Correlations for risk, depression, distress, and child development knowledge remained significant when controlling for whether the parent was interacting with a first-born. Regression analyses indicate that risk mediates the effect of parenting a first-born on interaction quality controlling for child sex, depression, distress, and knowledge.
These results indicate that parenting a first-born is somewhat different than parenting a later child. This may be partially the consequence of differing resources and support.