Melvin N. Wilson

The Relations among Cumulative Risk, Parenting, and Behavior Problems during Early Childhood.

BACKGROUND This study examined relations among cumulative risk, nurturant and involved parenting, and behavior problems across early childhood. METHODS Cumulative risk, parenting, and behavior problems were measured in a sample of low-income toddlers participating in a family-centered program to prevent conduct problems. RESULTS Path analysis was utilized to examine longitudinal relations among these constructs, with results supporting an indirect effect of cumulative risk on externalizing and internalizing problems through nurturant and involved parenting. CONCLUSION Results highlight the importance of cumulative risk during early childhood, and particularly the effect that the level of contextual risk can have on the parenting context during this developmental period.

Improvements in maternal depression as a mediator of intervention effects on early childhood problem behavior

Maternal depression has been consistently linked to the development of child problem behavior, particularly in early childhood, but few studies have examined whether reductions in maternal depression serve as a mediator in relation to changes associated with a family-based intervention. The current study addressed this issue with a sample of 731 families receiving services from a national food supplement and nutrition program. Families with toddlers between ages 2 and 3 were screened and then randomized to a brief family intervention, the Family Check-Up, which included linked interventions that were tailored and adapted to the families needs. Follow-up intervention services were provided at age 3 and follow-up of child outcomes occurred at ages 3 and 4. Latent growth models revealed intervention effects for early externalizing and internalizing problems from 2 to 4, and reductions in maternal depression from ages 2 to 3. In addition, reductions in maternal depression mediated improvements in both child externalizing and internalizing problem behavior after accounting for the potential mediating effects of improvements in positive parenting. The results are discussed with respect to targeting maternal depression in future intervention studies aimed at improving early child problem behavior.

A Re-Examination of Risk and Resilience During Adolescence: Incorporating Culture and Diversity

We consider risk and resilience within the developmental contexts of youth of African, Asian, Latino, and Native American descent. Conceptual and definitional issues are explained in terms of the role that culture and diversity play in specifying risk and resilience factors for youth of African, Asian, Latino, and Native American descent. We promote a conceptual model of risk and resilience as multidimensional phenomenon. The relevance of culture and diversity in a developmental perspective of youth of African, Asian, Latino, and Native American descent is discussed in a manner that incorporates community psychology principles.

Moderators of Outcome in a Brief Family-Centered Intervention for Preventing Early Problem Behavior

This study investigated moderators of change in an empirically supported family-centered intervention (the Family Check-Up) for problem behavior in early childhood. Participants were 731 2- to 3-year-olds (49% girls; 28% African American, 50% European American, 13% biracial) from low-income families and had been screened for risk of family stress and early-onset problem behavior. They were randomized to the Family Check-Up intervention or to a no-intervention control group. Latent growth models examined sociodemographic and parent psychological risk factors as potential moderators of change in problem behavior between ages 2, 3, and 4. Results revealed 2 moderators of intervention effectiveness. Caregivers with the lowest educational levels were more responsive to the family-centered intervention, and 2-parent families were more responsive to the intervention. Other risk factors showed no predictive effects. Overall, findings suggest that this brief family-centered intervention can be equally effective in reaching the most distressed and most disadvantaged families, compared to those who are more advantaged. However, results suggest that more attention may be needed to address the intervention needs of single parent families in reducing problem behavior in early childhood.

Parental Influences on Academic Performance in African-American Students

We investigated the relationship between parental influences and academic outcomes for African-American students. Secondary data analysis was conducted on the National Survey of Family and Household data set. Multiple regression analysis showed that parenting style (nurture and control) and parental involvement significantly predicted academic outcomes. Research has traditionally focused on the reasons for the failure of African-American students to succeed in school. This study focused on factors that determine success. The problem of negative school outcomes may be alleviated by studying what works to promote school success rather than what does not work for African-American students.

Do harsh and positive parenting predict parent reports of deceitful-callous behavior in early childhood?

BACKGROUND The relationship between parenting and the development of antisocial behavior in children is well established. However, evidence for associations between dimensions of parenting and callous-unemotional (CU) traits is mixed. As CU traits appear critical to understanding a subgroup of youth with antisocial behavior, more research addressing the link between early parenting and CU traits is needed. METHODS The current study investigated longitudinal predictions between measures of harsh and positive parenting, and early CU behavior. Data from mother-child dyads (N = 731; 49% female) were collected from a multi-ethnic, high-risk sample with young children, and included self-reported and multi-method observed parenting. CU behavior was assessed using a previously validated measure of deceitful-callous behavior (Hyde et al., 2011). RESULTS   Results suggest that dimensions of harsh parenting, but not positive parenting, contribute to the development of child deceitful-callous behavior. Nevertheless, deceitful-callous behavior showed strong stability over time and the effects of harsh parenting, especially observed harshness, were modest. CONCLUSIONS The current findings have implications for developmental psychopathology and early interventions for antisocial behavior. The results also raise a number of issues about measuring emerging CU behavior in very young children, including the interrelation between parent perceptions and reports of child behavior, parent reactions, and the subsequent development of severe antisocial behavior.

Parenting self-efficacy and problem behavior in children at high risk for early conduct problems: the mediating role of maternal depression.

Parenting self-efficacy (PSE) has been positively linked to childrens adjustment and negatively associated with maternal depression. However, most PSE research has been cross-sectional, limited to predominantly white, middle-class samples, and has not examined potential mechanisms underlying associations of PSE with childrens behavior. The present study investigates: (1) how PSE changes over time, (2) the relationship between age 2 PSE and childrens behavior problems 2 years later, and (3) the potential mediating role of maternal depression in relation to the association between PSE and child problem behavior. Participants are 652 ethnically and geographically diverse mothers and their children, at high risk for conduct problems. PSE increased between ages 2 and 4 and higher initial levels predicted lower caregiver-reported age 4 conduct problems after controlling for problem behavior at age 2. The relationship between PSE and later conduct problems was mediated, however, by maternal depression. These findings suggest maternal depression as a potential disruptor of caregiver confidence in early childhood, which has implications for the design and focus of parenting interventions.

Dimensions of callousness in early childhood: Links to problem behavior and family intervention effectiveness

This study examined dimensions of callous behaviors in early childhood and the role of these behaviors in the development of conduct problems, as well as responsiveness to a family-centered preventative intervention. Caregiver reports of callous behaviors were examined using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. Problem behavior was examined using within- and cross-informant reports of these behaviors. Parenting was measured using observational methods within the context of a randomized control trial of the Family Check-Up with a sample of 731 ethnically diverse boys and girls (followed from ages 2 to 4) at high risk for later conduct problems. Results demonstrated that a measure of deceitful-callous (DC) behaviors had acceptable factor loadings and internal consistency at ages 3 and 4. DC behaviors at age 3 predicted problem behavior concurrently and longitudinally within and across informant. However, DC behaviors did not reduce the effectiveness of the family preventative intervention. These findings have implications for our understanding of behaviors that may precede later callous-unemotional traits and for our understanding of the development and prevention of early starting conduct problems.

Flexibility and sharing of childcare duties in black families

With the increasing number of Black mothers participating in the labor force, rearing children without fathers present, and relying on extended family for support the question of the nature of role-flexibility and sharing in the family is raised. Sixty-four families participated in an examination of the relative influence of one- and two-parent Black families and the proximity of the grandmother on self-report measures of (a) household maintenance duties, (b) childcare duties, and (c) parental punishment behaviors. Parents, grandmothers, and at least one child between the ages of 7 and 14 years completed three types of self-report measures. Although the results indicated that mothers, fathers, and grandmothers were nominated as consistently participating in childcare and household maintenance duties, mothers were nominated for more than 60% of the childcare and household tasks. Moreover mothers and not fathers used the full range of discipline practices including corporal punishment. The hypothesis regarding role-sharing in Black household was not supported. Black mothers, like mothers in general, are primarily responsible for the maintenance of the house and the care of children.

Coercive Family Process and Early-Onset Conduct Problems From Age 2 to School Entry

The emergence and persistence of conduct problems (CPs) during early childhood is a robust predictor of behavior problems in school and of future maladaptation. In this study we examined the reciprocal influences between observed coercive interactions between children and caregivers, oppositional and aggressive behavior, and growth in parent report of early childhood (ages 2-5) and school-age CPs (ages 7.5 and 8.5). Participants were drawn from the Early Steps multisite randomized prevention trial that includes an ethnically diverse sample of male and female children and their families (N = 731). A parallel-process growth model combining latent trajectory and cross-lagged approaches revealed the amplifying effect of observed coercive caregiver-child interactions on childrens noncompliance, whereas child oppositional and aggressive behaviors did not consistently predict increased coercion. The slope and initial levels of child oppositional and aggressive behaviors and the stability of caregiver-child coercion were predictive of teacher-reported oppositional behavior at school age. Families assigned to the Family Check-Up condition had significantly steeper declines in child oppositional and aggressive behavior and moderate reductions in oppositional behavior in school and in coercion at age 3. Results were not moderated by child gender, race/ethnicity, or assignment to the intervention condition. The implications of these findings are discussed with respect to understanding the early development of CPs and to designing optimal strategies for reducing problem behavior in early childhood with families most in need.