Susan Sierau

Conflict Resolution as a Dyadic Mediator: Considering the Partner Perspective on Conflict Resolution

So far, relationship research has only considered an intrapersonal perspective on links between adult attachment, conflict resolution and relationship satisfaction. This study investigated the mediating effects of partner–reported conflict resolution styles among the attachment dimensions of avoidance and anxiety, and relationship satisfaction in a sample of 207 heterosexual couples. Dyadic and structural aspects of mediation were tested using the Actor–Partner Mediator Model with latent variables. Few significant partner–related meditational pathways were found indicating compensating effects of positive problem solving and compliance. More frequent positive problem solving could improve relationship satisfaction, even when the partner showed higher scores on anxious attachment. In addition, the use of compliance could suppress the negative effects of attachment avoidance on partners relationship satisfaction. Copyright

Effects of Home Visitation on Maternal Competencies, Family Environment, and Child Development: a Randomized Controlled Trial

Based on the US Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP) program, the German home visiting program “Pro Kind” offered support for socially and financially disadvantaged first-time mothers from pregnancy until the children’s second birthday. A multi-centered, longitudinal randomized controlled trial (RCT) was conducted to assess its effectiveness on mothers and children. A total of 755 women with multiple risk factors were recruited, 394 received regular home visits (treatment group), while 361 only had access to standard community services (control group). Program influences on family environment (e.g., quality of home, social support), maternal competencies (e.g., maternal self-efficacy, empathy, parenting style), and child development (e.g., cognitive and motor development) were assessed from mothers’ program intake in pregnancy to children’s second birthday based on self-reports in regular interviews and developmental tests. Generalized estimating equations (GEE) models showed small, but significant positive treatment effects on parental self-efficacy, and marginally significant effects on social support, and knowledge on child rearing. Maternal stress, self-efficacy, and feelings of attachment in the TG tend to show a more positive development over time. Subgroup effects were found for high-risk mothers in the TG, who reported more social support over time and, generally, had children with higher developmental scores compared to their CG counterparts. Post hoc analyses of implementation variables revealed the quality of the helping relationship as a significant indicator of treatment effects. Results are discussed in terms of implementation and public policy differences between NFP and Pro Kind.

Analyzing pathways from childhood maltreatment to internalizing symptoms and disorders in children and adolescents (AMIS): a study protocol

BackgroundEffective interventions for maltreated children are impeded by gaps in our knowledge of the etiopathogenic mechanisms leading from maltreatment to mental disorders. Although some studies have already identified individual risk factors, there is a lack of large-scale multilevel research on how psychosocial, neurobiological, and genetic factors act in concert to modulate risk of internalizing psychopathology in childhood following maltreatment. To help close this gap, we aim to delineate gender-specific pathways from maltreatment to psychological disorder/resilience. To this end, we examine the interplay of specific maltreatment characteristics and psychological, endocrine, metabolomic, and (epi-)genomic stress response patterns as well as cognitive-emotional/social processes as determinants of developmental outcome. Specifically, we will explore endocrine, metabolomic, and epigenetic mechanisms leading from maltreatment to a higher risk of depression and anxiety disorders.Methods/designFour large samples amounting to a total of N = 920 children aged 4–16 years will be assessed: Two cohorts with prior internalizing psychopathology and controls will be checked for maltreatment and two cohorts with substantiated maltreatment will be checked for internalizing (and externalizing) psychopathology. We will apply a multi-source (interview, questionnaires, official records), multi-informant strategy (parents, children, teachers) to assess maltreatment characteristics (e.g., subtypes, developmental timing, chronicity) and psychopathological symptoms, supplemented with multiple measurements of risk and protective factors and cutting-edge laboratory analyses of endocrine, steroid metabolomic and epigenetic factors. As previous assessments in the two largest samples are already available, longitudinal data will be generated within the three year study period.DiscussionOur results will lay the empirical foundation for (a) detection of early biopsychosocial markers, (b) development of screening measures, and (c) multisystem-oriented interventions in the wake of maltreatment.

Insatiable insecurity: maternal obesity as a risk factor for mother–child attachment and child weight

Childhood obesity has become a rising health problem, and because parental obesity is a basic risk factor for childhood obesity, biological factors have been especially considered in the complex etiology. Aspects of the family interaction, e.g., mother–child attachment, have not been the main focus. Our study tried to fill this gap by investigating whether there is a difference between children of obese and normal weight mothers in terms of mother–child attachment, and whether mother–child attachment predicts child’s weight, in a sample of 31 obese and 31 normal weight mothers with children aged 19 to 58 months. Mother–child attachment was measured with the Attachment Q-Set. We found that (1) children of obese mothers showed a lower quality of mother–child attachment than children of normal weight mothers, which indicates that they are less likely to use their mothers as a secure base; (2) the attachment quality predicted child`s BMI percentile; and (3) the mother–child attachment adds incremental validity to the prediction of child’s BMI beyond biological parameters (child’s BMI birth percentile, BMI of the parents) and mother’s relationship status. Implications of our findings are discussed.

What relates to paternal feelings and competencies? A structural equation model

In the present study, we integrated cross-sectional findings on the relation of early paternal feelings and competencies against the background of a theoretical model on determinants of parenting in a sample of 104 socially disadvantaged first-time parents at 6 months postpartum. Participants reported about mental health characteristics, partnership satisfaction, parental self-efficacy, and attachment feelings. Results indicate a reasonable fit of the proposed model, with interrelations between maternal mental health, paternal partnership satisfaction, and mental health. Furthermore, fathers’ partnership satisfaction positively correlates with paternal feelings and competencies. Our results underline the role of fathers’ partnership satisfaction and mental health for his parenting competencies at 6 months postpartum. The study represents a useful starting point for future longitudinal research on fathering and the unique father–infant relation of fathers within the first year postpartum.

Latent trajectories of internalizing symptoms from preschool to school age : A multi-informant study in a high-risk sample

Recent proposals suggest early adversity sets in motion particularly chronic and neurobiologically distinct trajectories of internalizing symptoms. However, few prospective studies in high-risk samples delineate distinct trajectories of internalizing symptoms from preschool age onward. We examined trajectories in a high-risk cohort, oversampled for internalizing symptoms, several preschool risk/maintenance factors, and school-age outcomes. Parents of 325 children completed the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire on up to four waves of data collection from preschool (3-5 years) to school age (8-9 years) and Preschool Age Psychiatric Assessment interviews at both ages. Multi-informant data were collected on risk factors and symptoms. Growth mixture modelling identified four trajectory classes of internalizing symptoms with stable low, rising low-to-moderate, stable moderate, and stable high symptoms. Children in the stable high symptom trajectory manifested clinically relevant internalizing symptoms, mainly diagnosed with anxiety disorders/depression at preschool and school age. Trajectories differed regarding loss/separation experience, maltreatment, maternal psychopathology, temperament, and stress-hormone regulation with loss/separation, temperament, maternal psychopathology, and stress-hormone regulation (trend) significantly contributing to explained variance. At school age, trajectories continued to differ on symptoms, disorders, and impairment. Our study is among the first to show that severe early adversity may trigger a chronic and neurobiologically distinct internalizing trajectory from preschool age onward.

Commentary: The importance of exploring dose-dependent, subtype-specific, and age-related effects of maltreatment on the HPA axis and the mediating link to psychopathology. A response to Fisher (2017)

We greatly appreciate Dr. Fishers commentary that provides an excellent backdrop and well-considered perspective on our findings. We agree that our results mesh well with previous work documenting hypocortisolism among youth who experienced early adversity, especially neglect. Moreover, as also perceptively noted by Dr. Fisher, our cross-sectional data provide support for the notion that hypocortisolism is not simply a transient phenomenon, but, rather, a persistent pattern characterizing maltreated youth. Specifically, the consistency of the between group effect (from age 9.69 onwards) on a multimonth index of cumulative cortisol and the dose-dependent gradient of cortisol secretion within the maltreated group, which was related to the number of subtypes and the length of exposure to maltreatment, lend weight to this view.

A Multisource Approach to Assessing Child Maltreatment From Records, Caregivers, and Children

Practitioners and researchers alike face the challenge that different sources report inconsistent information regarding child maltreatment. The present study capitalizes on concordance and discordance between different sources and probes applicability of a multisource approach to data from three perspectives on maltreatment—Child Protection Services (CPS) records, caregivers, and children. The sample comprised 686 participants in early childhood (3- to 8-year-olds; n = 275) or late childhood/adolescence (9- to 16-year-olds; n = 411), 161 from two CPS sites and 525 from the community oversampled for psychosocial risk. We established three components within a factor-analytic approach: the shared variance between sources on presence of maltreatment (convergence), nonshared variance resulting from the child’s own perspective, and the caregiver versus CPS perspective. The shared variance between sources was the strongest predictor of caregiver- and self-reported child symptoms. Child perspective and caregiver versus CPS perspective mainly added predictive strength of symptoms in late childhood/adolescence over and above convergence in the case of emotional maltreatment, lack of supervision, and physical abuse. By contrast, convergence almost fully accounted for child symptoms for failure to provide. Our results suggest consistent information from different sources reporting on maltreatment is, on average, the best indicator of child risk.

Definition und Beschreibung von Vernachlässigung im Kindes- und Jugendalter

ZusammenfassungHintergrundObwohl die Vernachlässigung im Kindes- und Jugendalter zu den am häufigsten berichteten Misshandlungsformen in der Kindheit zählt, gibt es immer noch Unklarheiten hinsichtlich der genauen Beschreibung und Nosologie.Ziel der ArbeitAnliegen des vorliegenden Beitrags ist es, Empfehlungen für eine umfassende Charakterisierung von Vernachlässigung und deren Subtypen zu geben, Besonderheiten der Definition und Auftrittshäufigkeit aufzuzeigen und diese von anderen Misshandlungsformen abzugrenzen.Material und MethodeDer Beitrag fasst die aktuelle Forschungsliteratur und erste vorläufige deskriptive Ergebnisse aus dem Forschungsprojekt Analyzing pathways from childhood maltreatment to internalizing symptoms and disorders in children and adolescents (AMIS) zur Häufigkeit von Vernachlässigung in einer durch das Leipziger Amt für Jugend, Familie und Bildung rekrutierten Stichprobe 4- bis 16-jähriger Kinder mit Misshandlungshintergrund zusammen. Die Misshandlungserfahrung wurde im standardisierten Interview mit der Bezugsperson und anhand von Akteneinsicht mithilfe des Maltreatment Classification System (MCS) ausgewertet.ErgebnisseEmotionale und körperliche Vernachlässigung stellen die am häufigsten vorkommenden Formen von Vernachlässigung innerhalb dieser Jugendamtsstichprobe dar. Dabei ist emotionale Vernachlässigung aufgrund unscharfer Kriterien als besonders schwierig zu erfassen.SchlussfolgerungEine möglichst objektive und mehrdimensionale Erfassung von Vernachlässigung, die neben dem Schweregrad und dem Verursacher die Auftrittshäufigkeit, -dauer und das Entwicklungsalter des Kindes berücksichtigt, ist wesentlich für eine effektive Intervention.AbstractBackgroundDespite the fact that neglect ranks among the most common forms of reported childhood maltreatment, there is a lack of agreement regarding its precise description and nosology.AimThis article gives recommendations regarding a comprehensive assessment of neglect and the various subtypes, emphasizes the complexities of its definition and incidence and demarcates the boundaries relative to other forms of maltreatment.Material and methodsThis article summarizes the current empirical literature as well as preliminary descriptive results drawn from the “analyzing pathways from childhood maltreatment to internalizing symptoms and disorders in children and adolescents (AMIS)” research project regarding the frequency of neglect within a sample of 4–16-year-olds drawn from the Leipzig Child Protective Services (CPS). Maltreatment experiences were assessed using standardized interviews with caregivers as well as detailed analysis of the CPS records using the maltreatment classification system (MCS). ResultsEmotional and physical neglect represent the most common forms of neglect in this CPS sample. Due to the poorly defined criteria emotional neglect may present the greatest challenge for assessment.ConclusionEffective interventional efforts hinge on an objective and multidimensional assessment of neglect, while taking the severity, frequency, duration, the perpetrator as well as the developmental period of the child into account.

Erratum: Conflict Resolution as a Dyadic Mediator: Considering the Partner Perspective on Conflict Resolution: Comment on conflict resolution as a dyadic mediator

In our paper on mediating effects of partner-reported conflict resolution styles among the attachment dimensions of avoidance and anxiety, and relationship satisfaction, we have to report a correction of two path coefficients of partner-effects in our tested Actor–Partner Mediator Model with latent variables. On page 228 (Anxiety as exogenous variable) in the sentence “The influence of the partner was statistically significant for partner anxiety on positive conflict solving style (.16, p< .001) and from positive conflict solving style to partner relationship satisfaction (.12, p< .001)”, the coefficient of the relation between partner anxiety and positive conflict solving style had a negative algebraic sign and should be .16. Likewise, the nonsignificant coefficient for the association between anxiety and relationship satisfaction was also negative ( .07). In Table 4, the path coefficients were also p1= .16 instead of .16, and p3= .07 instead of .07.