Amy E. Root

The regulation of fear: the contribution of inhibition and emotion socialisation

In this study, we investigated the contribution of inhibition and maternal socialisation of childrens fear to observed emotion regulation during a fear induction. Fifty-three parent–child dyads (Mage = 3.76 years) participated. Parents completed a series of questionnaires, and parent–child dyads were observed during a fear induction. Childrens behaviour was coded for latency to approach the fear stimulus, expressions of fear, and regulation of emotion during the fear episode. Inhibition positively predicted orientation to mother and negatively predicted task orientation during the fear episode. In addition, the interaction between inhibition and supportive reactions to fear predicted childrens engagement in distraction during the fear episode; the relation between inhibition and distraction was significant when mothers reported high levels of support to childrens fear. The results indicated that mothers’ supportive reactions to childrens fear bolster their emotion regulatory skills.

The importance of emotions: the socialisation of emotion in parents of children with autism spectrum disorder

ABSTRACT Parents play a critical role in the development of childrens emotional competence; however, little research examines parents’ emotion socialisation practices among children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In this study, we compared the emotion socialisation practices of parents of children with ASD and to those of parents of children that are typically developing. The Coping with Childrens Negative Emotions Scale was used to assess parents’ reactions to childrens emotions in both the typically developing sample (n = 138) and the sample of children with ASD (n = 22). An analysis of covariance revealed significant differences in responses to anger and fear. Group was entered as the independent variable and the dependent variable was parents’ responses to childrens expressions of negative emotion. Covariates included child gender and child age. These results demonstrate a need for research examining the relationship between, and moderators of, parents’ emotional reactions and the development of emotional competence in children with ASD. Furthermore, these results have implications for early intervention practice as parent–child interactions have been shown to affect child outcomes.

Development of iGrow: A curriculum for youth/adult dyads to increase gardening skills, culinary competence, and family meal time for youths and their adult caregivers

This manuscript describes the development of a “learn by actively participating” curriculum for youth and their adult caregivers (dyad pair) to increase gardening skills, culinary competence, and family meal time. The curriculum was developed by integrating “iCook 4-H” and Junior Masters Gardener “Health and Nutrition from the Garden”, and “Essential Elements of 4-H Youth Development” curriculums with additional resources for gardening activities from the USDA’s My Plate and garden-based recipes. Expert reviewers (n = 11) provided feedback on the curriculum content, session structure, dosage, age appropriateness, and balance of the three focused areas. Seven family dyads (n = 14) participated in focus groups about understanding of need, interest, barriers, and potential engagement. A 10-week curriculum was developed and named: iGrow. The curriculum is a hands on, active learning program delivered through five, two-hour sessions using a family dyad model. Three main focus areas included gardening, culinary skills, and family conversation/interaction that all focused on togetherness. For the final iGrow curriculum, expert-level content review and feedback from focus group dyad pairs was used to revise the curriculum which further enhanced the approach and balance of the curriculum content. Focus group feedback supported appropriateness, dosage and learning objectives, and content depth. This curriculum has been developed to provide knowledge of gardening and culinary skills with the goal of increased consumption of fruit and vegetables.

The association between adaptive functioning and parents’ attributions for children’s emotions

ABSTRACT Research suggests that adaptive functioning influences parents’ attributions for children’s social behaviours. However, the influence of adaptive functioning on parents’ attributions for children’s emotional expressions is yet to be examined. The purpose of this study was to determine the association between adaptive functioning of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and parents’ attributions for children’s negative emotional expressions. Participants included 68 parents of children with ASD ages 3–11 (Mage = 7.2; SD = 6.82). Parents completed two questionnaires: one measuring adaptive functioning and one measuring parents’ attributions for their children’s emotional expressions. Positive associations were found between: (1) parents’ internal modifiable attributions for overall negative emotions (i.e. fear, anger, sadness aggregate), fear, and anger; (2) parents’ external modifiable attributions for overall negative emotion, fear, and sadness; and (3) parents’ disability-based attributions and fear. Tentatively, these results indicate that attribution retraining may be an important focus for interventions with parents of children with ASD.

Parents’ perceptions of play: a comparative study of spousal perspectives

ABSTRACT Play is essential for growth and learning during early childhood. However, the current focus on academics in preschool education has resulted in less emphasis placed on play as a learning tool. In the current study, parents’ value of play was investigated. Parent gender, child gender, and child age were examined as potential influences on parents’ value of play. Participants included 38 mothers and 38 fathers of preschool-aged children. Parents completed surveys about the value of play (play support) and the value of academic activities (academic focus). Results indicated that mothers rated play support higher than fathers. In addition, child age was negatively associated with parents’ ratings of play support, and the relation between child age and academic focus differed by child gender. The findings suggest that parents in this study perceive play as valuable, but these perceptions change as children approach formal schooling.