Testing reliability and validity of practitioner-rated parental sensitivity: A novel tool for practice

Improving parental sensitivity is an important objective of interventions to support families. This study examined reliability and validity of parental sensitivity ratings using a novel package of an e-learning tool and an interactive decision tree provided through a mobile application, called the OK! package. Independent raters assessed parental sensitivity using the OK! package (N = 11 raters) and the NICHD Parental Sensitivity rating scales (N = 22 raters) on the basis of videotaped mother-child interactions at 10- or 12-months-old (N = 294) and at 24-months-old (N = 204) from the Dutch longitudinal cohort study Generation2 . Mothers reported on children's externalizing and internalizing problems and social competence when children were 4 and 7 years old. Results showed excellent single interrater reliability for raters using the OK! package (mean ICC = .79), and strong evidence for convergent validity at 10- or 12-month-old (r = .57) and 24-month-old (r = .65). Prospective associations of neither parental sensitivity rated using the OK! package or the NICHD Parental Sensitivity rating scales with child developmental outcomes were statistically significant (p > .05), with overlapping 95% confidence intervals for both measures. The OK! package provides a promising direction for testing alternatives to current training and instruction modalities.

Parent-Child Relationship Scale (P-CRS): A valid and clinically sensitive tool for assessing the parent-child relationship

The present study measured the efficacy of the Parent-Child Relationship Scale (P-CRS) in assessing the relationship between parents and children. The aims of the study were to explore how the scale scores change in relation to age and sex of the children, evaluate its ability to capture relational difficulties, and investigating its usefulness to assess the parent-child relationship in the context of certain psychopathological conditions. A total of 322 clinicians rated 542 mother-child dyads (92% Italian, 8% other nationality). The clinical group was comprised of 267 children with confirmed clinical conditions. The control group was comprised of 275 children with typical development, rated by clinicians in their private offices after four to five evaluative sessions. Descriptive statistics were captured and ANOVAs and linear regression analyses were performed to investigate in both groups the efficacy of the scale in assessing the parent-child relationship. Finally, to test P-CRS accuracy, optimal cutoff scores for each subscale were computed using the ROC method. The findings provide evidence for the P-CRS ability to capture relational difficulties in both groups, showing its utility as screening tool. Thus, the results support that P-CRS can be used for exploring how different relationship patterns can occur in different clinical conditions.

Parent and practitioner perspectives on Circle of Security Parenting (COS-P): A qualitative study

Circle of Security Parenting (COS-P) is an attachment-theory-informed program for parents of infants and young children. Designed for scalability, COS-P has been widely adopted internationally. Evidence for the program's effectiveness is limited, however, restricting capacity to make informed decisions about program allocation, and threatening ongoing program funding. To help address this evidence gap, this qualitative study explored the experiences and perceptions of 20 COS-P facilitators and 14 parent recipients in Australia, where COS-P uptake has been particularly widespread. Thematic analysis of combined interview and focus group data revealed a perception that COS-P primarily changes the lens through which parents view (a) their child, (b) themselves in the parenting role, and (c) the parent-child relationship, and that this was a pathway to increased empathy, compassion, and parenting confidence. Participants identified four components that underpinned program impact: key content, skills practice, group processes, and facilitator support. Although COS-P was considered suitable for broad application, limitations were noted. Findings can guide clinical application of COS-P and inform empirical research.

Considering the role of early discrimination experiences and the parent-child relationship in the development of disruptive behaviors in adolescence

Discrimination has been shown to be related to diminished psychological adjustment and greater risk for substance use when personally experienced by adolescents and when their caregivers experience discrimination. Our research considers the impact of primary caregiver experiences of racial- and socioeconomic-based discrimination in early (age 3-5 years) and late childhood (age 9½) on adolescent disruptive behaviors (age 14) with a large sample of diverse caregiver-child dyads (N = 634). In addition, we examine the potential protective effects of parent-child relationship quality in early and late childhood in buffering the effects of caregiver discrimination on adolescent disruptive behaviors. We also explore possible gender differences in children's vulnerability to engage in disruptive behaviors in the context of caregiver experiences of discrimination. The findings from this study indicate that at trend level, early childhood experiences of primary caregiver discrimination (ages 3-5) predicted adolescent disruptive behaviors, accounting for the effects of more recent (age 9½) caregiver discrimination. In addition, parent-child relationship quality at age 9½ years was found to buffer the effects of late childhood (age 9½) primary caregiver discrimination on adolescent disruptive behaviors for both male and female youth. The findings highlight the need for prevention and intervention techniques that foster healthy and positive primary caregiver-child relationships.

STRENGTHENING THE REFLECTIVE FUNCTIONING CAPACITIES OF PARENTS WHO HAVE A CHILD WITH A NEURODEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITY THROUGH A BRIEF, RELATIONSHIP-FOCUSED INTERVENTION

This randomized controlled trial examined the reflective functioning capacities of caregivers who have a child with a neurodevelopmental disorder between the ages of 2 years 0 months and 6 years 11 months. Children with a neurodevelopmental disorder receive a range of diagnoses, including sutism; however, they all exhibit social communication challenges that can derail social relationships. Forty parent-child dyads in Barbados were randomly assigned to either a developmental individual-difference, relationship-based/floortime(DIR/FT) group (n = 20), or a psychoeducational (wait-list) group (n = 20) with parental reflective functioning measured before and after a 12-week DIR/FT treatment intervention. Results revealed significant gains in parental reflective functioning in the treatment group, as compared to the psychoeducational (wait-list) group, after the 12-week relationship-focused intervention.