Mother-Infant Conflict and Problem Behavior Development

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Multiple studies of mother-infant (M-I) interaction have suggested that a supportive caregiving environment is associated with positive child development, and a conflicted parent-child relationship is associated with less optimal development. In contrast to these findings, some researchers have suggested that conflicted interactions between mothers and infants may have positive effects on child development. Yet, few studies have examined the relation between M-I conflict and child development nor explored the possible mechanisms of influence. Even fewer studies have looked at the how the influence of early M-I conflicted interactions might differ depending on the race/ethnicity of the mother/child dyad. Given the facts that parent-child conflict during the toddler years is both normative and frequent, studying the nature of conflict and the role of conflict in children's early socio-emotional development is important. This project relies on secondary analyses of data collected as part of the National Evaluation of the Healthy Steps for Young Children Program. The Healthy Steps (HS) project was designed to strengthen parents' knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors in ways that promote their child's development and health. The primary objective of the proposed study is to assess whether 16-18 month preverbal children's conflicted interaction with their mothers is related to their social emotional development at 36 months. The specific study aims are: 1) To provide descriptive information on the nature of M-I conflicted behaviors in preverbal children and children of different races; 2) To determine whether early M-I conflicted behaviors have positive influences on later children's attachment and behavioral problem development; and 3) To explore whether these associations vary by race/ethnicity. The proposed study relies on home observation data, videotaped when infants were 16 months old; measures of child behavior problems and attachment from maternal self-reports obtained at 36 months; and interview and parent questionnaire data collected at 2-4 months. Observational data will be coded using a conflict-event recording method. Behaviors such as types of conflicts and affect and behavioral responses to conflict incidents for both mothers and children will be included. Data then will be analyzed using sequential analysis and hierarchical regression models to generate overall estimates of the association between M-I conflict and children's attachment and behavior-problems development. The results of the study will have important implications for understanding early psychopathology as well as guiding program design for early prevention. This study may inform researchers whether M-I conflict is associated with development of psychopathology and whether there are cultural differences in terms of conflicted M-I interactions. It will also enhance our knowledge of the processes of developing attachment and behavior problems in toddlers.