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Leckman JF, Ponguta LA, Pavarini G, Hein SD, McCarthy MF, Staiti H, Hanöz-Penney S, Rubinstein J, Pruett KD, Yazgan MY, Fallon NS, Hartl FJ, Ziv M, Salah R, Britto PR, Fitzpatrick S, Panter-Brick C. Love and peace across generations: Biobehavioral systems and global partnerships. COMPREHENSIVE PSYCHONEUROENDOCRINOLOGY 2021; 8:100092. [PMID: 35757671 PMCID: PMC9216554 DOI: 10.1016/j.cpnec.2021.100092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2021] [Revised: 10/04/2021] [Accepted: 10/05/2021] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Children's environments - especially relationships with caregivers - sculpt not only developing brains but also multiple bio-behavioral systems that influence long-term cognitive and socioemotional outcomes, including the ability to empathize with others and interact in prosocial and peaceful ways. This speaks to the importance of investing resources in effective and timely programs that work to enhance early childhood development (ECD) and, by extension, reach communities at-scale. Given the limited resources currently devoted to ECD services, and the devastating impact of COVID-19 on children and communities, there is a clear need to spur government leaders and policymakers to further invest in ECD and related issues including gender and racial equity. This essay offers concrete examples of scholarly paradigms and leadership efforts that focus on child development to build a peaceful, equitable, just, and sustainable world. As scholars and practitioners, we need to continue to design, implement, assess, and revise high-quality child development programs that generate much-needed evidence for policy and programmatic changes. We must also invest in global partnerships to foster the next generation of scholars, practitioners, and advocates dedicated to advance our understanding of the bio-behavioral systems that underlie love, sociality, and peace across generations. Especially where supported by structural interventions, ECD programs can help create more peaceful, just, and socially equitable societies.
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Affiliation(s)
- James F. Leckman
- Child Study Center, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
- Departments of Psychiatry, Psychology and Pediatrics, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
- Early Childhood Peace Consortium, New York, NY, USA
- Ethox Centre, Wellcome Centre for Ethics and Humanities, Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Liliana Angelica Ponguta
- Child Study Center, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
- Early Childhood Peace Consortium, New York, NY, USA
| | - Gabriela Pavarini
- Early Childhood Peace Consortium, New York, NY, USA
- Ethox Centre, Wellcome Centre for Ethics and Humanities, Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Sascha D. Hein
- Early Childhood Peace Consortium, New York, NY, USA
- Freie Universität, Berlin, Germany
| | - Michael F. McCarthy
- Child Study Center, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
- Early Childhood Peace Consortium, New York, NY, USA
- Warner School of Education and Human Development, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA
| | | | - Suna Hanöz-Penney
- Early Childhood Peace Consortium, New York, NY, USA
- Mother Child Education Foundation (AÇEV), Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Joanna Rubinstein
- Early Childhood Peace Consortium, New York, NY, USA
- United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network, Paris, France
| | - Kyle D. Pruett
- Child Study Center, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
- Early Childhood Peace Consortium, New York, NY, USA
| | - M. Yanki Yazgan
- Child Study Center, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
- Early Childhood Peace Consortium, New York, NY, USA
- Güzel Günler Clinic, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - N. Shemrah Fallon
- Child Study Center, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
- Early Childhood Peace Consortium, New York, NY, USA
| | - Franz J. Hartl
- Early Childhood Peace Consortium, New York, NY, USA
- University Web Operations, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Margalit Ziv
- The International Networking Group on Peacebuilding with Young Children, Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK
| | - Rima Salah
- Child Study Center, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
- Early Childhood Peace Consortium, New York, NY, USA
| | - Pia Rebello Britto
- Early Childhood Peace Consortium, New York, NY, USA
- Country Representative, UNICEF, Lao’s People Democratic Republic (Lao PDR)
| | - Siobhán Fitzpatrick
- Early Childhood Peace Consortium, New York, NY, USA
- The International Networking Group on Peacebuilding with Young Children, Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK
- The Early Years – the Organization for Young Children, Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK
| | - Catherine Panter-Brick
- Early Childhood Peace Consortium, New York, NY, USA
- Jackson Institute for Global Affairs and Department of Anthropology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
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Ponguta LA, Issa G, Aoudeh L, Maalouf C, Hein SD, Zonderman AL, Katsovich L, Khoshnood K, Bick J, Awar A, Nourallah S, Householder S, Moore CC, Salah R, Britto PR, Leckman JF. Effects of the Mother-Child Education Program on Parenting Stress and Disciplinary Practices Among Refugee and Other Marginalized Communities in Lebanon: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2020; 59:727-738. [PMID: 32014538 DOI: 10.1016/j.jaac.2019.12.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2018] [Revised: 12/09/2019] [Accepted: 01/17/2020] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Few randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have explored the implementation and impact of early childhood parenting education programs in very fragile contexts and humanitarian settings. We tested the effects of a group-based intervention, the Mother-Child Education Program (MOCEP), on parenting stress and practices among two refugee communities and one other marginalized community in Beirut, Lebanon. METHOD A pilot wait-list RCT was conducted to assess the program's impact on maternal, child (average age: 4 years), and dyadic outcomes. A total of 106 mother-child dyads were randomly assigned to either the intervention group (n = 53) or the wait-list control group (n = 53). Analysis was conducted by modified intention-to-treat and supplemental analyses through multiple imputation of missing post-intervention data. RESULTS Forty families (38%) withdrew early from the study. After completing the program, mothers in the intervention group showed a reduction in their harsh parenting practices, as indexed by the Disciplinary Style Questionnaire (Cohen's d = -0.76, 95% CI = -1.24, -0.27) and in their level of parenting stress, as indexed by the Parenting Stress Index-Short Form (PSI-SF; Cohen's d = -0.90, 95% CI = -1.39, -0.40). Exploratory but underpowered analyses of dyadic interactions revealed reductions in the PSI were associated with a reduction in harsh parenting after the intervention. However, we did not detect any positive impact on behavioral or emotional outcomes among the children. CONCLUSION Our analyses suggest that MOCEP had a positive impact on disciplinary practices and parenting stress in a context of high fragility, but that broader effects on maternal and child outcomes may be dependent on program attendance and the availability of other services. We discuss implications of this pilot study for practice and research of a largely unexplored area of program evaluation. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION INFORMATION Mother and Child Education Program in Palestinian Refugee Camps; https://clinicaltrials.gov; NCT02402556.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liliana A Ponguta
- Child Study Center, School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut.
| | | | | | | | | | - Anna L Zonderman
- Ms. Zonderman is with the Section of Hospital Medicine, Biological Sciences Division, The University of Chicago, Illinois
| | - Liliya Katsovich
- Dr. Khoshnood and Ms. Katsovich are with the School of Public Health, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Kaveh Khoshnood
- Dr. Khoshnood and Ms. Katsovich are with the School of Public Health, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Johanna Bick
- Dr. Bick is with The University of Houston, Texas
| | - Abir Awar
- Arab Resource Collective, Beirut, Lebanon
| | | | - Sarah Householder
- Child Study Center, School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut
| | | | - Rima Salah
- Child Study Center, School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut
| | | | - James F Leckman
- Child Study Center, School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut
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