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About this paper symposium
| Panel information |
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| Panel 9. Family Context & Processes |
| Paper #1 | |
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| Different Dimensions of Childhood Experiences Influence Intergenerational Teenage Pregnancy/Childbirth in Marginalized Families | |
| Author information | Role |
| Jillian Merrick, Pritzker Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, United States | Presenting author |
| Arianna S. Lane, University of Denver Department of Psychology, United States | Non-presenting author |
| Adi Rosenthal, University of Denver Department of Psychology, United States | Non-presenting author |
| Anne DePrince, University of Denver Department of Psychology, United States | Non-presenting author |
| Angela J. Narayan, University of Denver Department of Psychology, United States | Non-presenting author |
| Abstract | |
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Introduction. Higher levels of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and lower levels of positive childhood experiences (PCEs) are associated with increased odds of teenage pregnancies (Hillis et al., 2010), though little research has examined which dimensions of ACEs and PCEs associate with risk for teenage pregnancy and intergenerational patterns of teenage pregnancy/childbirth. We address this gap by examining effects of ACEs and PCEs on teenage pregnancy risk and the extent to which different dimensions of ACEs and PCEs associated with intergenerational continuity versus discontinuity of teenage pregnancy/childbirth in participants and their biological mothers. Hypothesis. ACEs and PCEs will be associated with risk for teenage pregnancy and teenage pregnancy/childbirth patterns across generations. Study Population. Participants were 240 ethnically-diverse pregnant women (Mean age = 28.44, SD = 5.72, range = 18-41; 40.8% White, 24.6% Latinx, 13.8% Black, 12.1% biracial/multiracial, 8.7% other). Methods. Participants completed the ACEs scale (Felitti et al., 1998), which was split into dimensions of maltreatment and family dysfunction and reported whether they experienced five additional adversities reflecting exposure to housing/neighborhood instability and interpersonal loss before age 12: homelessness, community violence, foster care placement, death of a close family member/friend, and juvenile detention placement. Participants also completed the Benevolent Childhood Experiences (BCEs) scale (Narayan et al., 2018), which was split into two subtypes for relational (e.g., support from caregivers, teachers, friends, etc.) versus non-relational childhood resources (e.g., positive self-esteem, coping resources, opportunities for play). They reported the age at which they first became pregnant (M = 22.76, SD = 6.01, range = 8-40; 33.3% teenage pregnancies) and the age at which their biological mothers first gave birth (M = 21.18, SD = 5.38, range = 13-39; 44.6% teenage pregnancies), given that individuals’ knowledge of their mothers’ pregnancies is less reliable. Based on their own and their mothers’ first pregnancies/births, participants were categorized into four groups: “Intergenerational teenage pregnancy/childbirth” (both participants and participants’ mothers were younger than 19 years when these happened, n = 49; 20.4%), “intergenerational discontinuity in teenage pregnancy/childbirth” (only participants’ mothers had their first child ≤ 19 years, n = 58; 24.2%), “first-generation teenage pregnancy/childbirth” (only participants became pregnant ≤ 19 years, n = 29; 12.1%), and “no teenage pregnancy/childbirth” (neither participants nor their mothers had a pregnancy/childbirth ≤ 19 years, n = 96; 40%). Results. After controlling for participants’ childhood socioeconomic status, logistic regression analyses showed that higher levels of childhood adversities reflecting instability and loss, but not higher levels of maltreatment or family dysfunction, nor lower levels of relational or non-relational resources, predicted participants’ higher risk for a teenage pregnancy (Table 1). In ANCOVA analyses, however, mean levels of childhood adversities reflecting instability/loss, maltreatment, and family dysfunction, and both types of childhood resources, significantly differed between the four groups (Table 2). Discussion. Findings indicate nuances in dimensions of childhood adversity and PCEs that are associated with risk for teenage pregnancy/childbirth. Identifying which childhood adversities should be targeted for prevention and which childhood resources should be targeted for promotion may help reduce teenage pregnancies across generations. |
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| Paper #2 | |
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| Resilience in Infants Experiencing Homelessness: Parent Adversity and Social Support in Minoritized and Marginalized Families | |
| Author information | Role |
| Janette E. Herbers, Ph.D., Villanova University, United States | Presenting author |
| J. J. Cutuli, Nemours Children’s Health, United States | Non-presenting author |
| Abstract | |
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Introduction. Infants account for a substantial and disproportionate number of U.S. children experiencing homelessness, with the first year of life being the time children are most likely to enter homeless shelters (Shaw, 2019). Experiencing homelessness during any part of childhood increases risk for many adverse developmental outcomes (Haskett & Armstrong, 2019). Infancy is a particularly sensitive period of developmental neuroplasticity when opportunities from positive experiences and threats from negative experiences each have a foundational impact (Shonkoff & Garner, 2012). Furthermore, ecological systems theory, attachment theory, and the family stress model of poverty all recognize that child wellbeing depends on parents’ functioning and access to supportive resources (Conger et al., 1992; Sroufe, 2016). Parents experiencing homelessness often report elevated adversity during their childhoods (Bassuk et al., 2015). Their current lack of financial and social resources also contribute to caregivers’ psychological stress and distress and deprive their children of opportunities (Duncan et al., 2019). Together, these past, recent, and ongoing adversities can compromise parent mental health and the quality of the crucial parent-infant relationship (Masten et al., 2021). Still, many parents and children demonstrate resilience in the context of homelessness, so understanding developmental processes that mitigate risk has potential to inform intervention efforts. Hypotheses. We hypothesized that parental social support would be a protective factor for higher-quality parent-infant relationships and better parent mental health among parents and infants residing in emergency shelters. Study Population. Parents (N = 106) and infants aged 1-12 months participated onsite at shelters, with parents responding to structured questionnaires and playing with infants for a 15-minute free play interaction, video-recorded for later coding of parenting quality. Methods. Raters coded for Mutual Responsiveness Orientation (MRO; Aksan et al., 2006), defined as close, mutually binding, cooperative, and affectively positive interactions between parents and infants with global scores ranging from 1-5, ICC = .71. Parental depression symptoms were assessed with 14 items from the SCL-25 (Strand et al., 2003). Parents’ childhood adversity was the sum of unique negative events prior to age 18, and their adulthood adversity was the sum of unique events after age 18 (Gest et al., 1999). Parental social support scores were sums of five items asking parents whether they believed assistance would be available if needed for both instrumental and emotional needs (Shulman et al., 2018). Results. A path analysis showed different patterns of associations of parent adversity during childhood and adulthood (Table 1). Childhood adversity predicted parent-infant responsiveness, with a positive association moderated by parental social support. Specifically, parents with higher levels of childhood adversity showed more responsiveness to infants only when they had access to high levels of social support (Figure 1). Adulthood adversity predicted higher depression scores, while parental social support predicted lower depression scores. Discussion. Resilience research on infants experiencing homelessness is extremely limited. Findings revealed that parental social support is a protective factor for more parental responsiveness to infants, particularly for parents with heightened childhood adversity. Families in homelessness should be empowered to draw on existing support systems and build new supportive connections. |
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| Paper #3 | |
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| Benevolent Childhood Experiences Moderate Intergenerational Transmission of Household Predictability for Families Experiencing Homelessness | |
| Author information | Role |
| Hopewell Hodges, University of Minnesota – Institute of Child Development, United States | Presenting author |
| Angela J. Narayan, University of Denver Department of Psychology, United States | Non-presenting author |
| Cara M. Lucke, Children's National Hospital, United States | Non-presenting author |
| Ann S. Masten, University of Minnesota – Institute of Child Development, United States | Non-presenting author |
| Abstract | |
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Introduction. Parenting practices are a critical locus of both risk and resilience processes for child and family functioning amid adversity. Children’s experiences of family and household unpredictability relate to higher levels of mental health problems, emotion dysregulation challenges, and disrupted cognitive development (Doom et al., 2024; Spadoni et al., 2022). Conversely, interpersonal and household predictability is a protective factor against the effects of adversities and parenting stressors (Cohodes et al., 2023; Keane & Shelleby, 2024; Zajicek-Farber et al., 2014). Parents’ ability to maintain routines may therefore play a role in children’s positive adaptation amid stress. Parents’ childhood experiences may shape their ability to provide stability amid environmental stress. This pre-registered study examines whether parents’ own childhood unpredictability is a risk factor for observed parenting quality and difficulty maintaining family routines during homelessness, and whether parents’ benevolent childhood experiences (BCEs) moderate these effects. Studies suggest that BCEs (e.g., a caregiver who felt safe, a caring teacher) are malleable resilience factors that may protect against risks from adverse childhood experiences and impact intergenerational risk transmission (Han et al., 2023). Hypotheses. We expected parents’ childhood unpredictability to be associated with lower observed parenting quality and more difficulties maintaining family routines amid current challenges. We expected BCEs to attenuate this association. BCEs were hypothesized to have direct positive effects on family routines and observed parenting quality. Study Population. Participants (N = 71) were families with children ages 3 to 6 residing in an urban emergency shelter in 2019. Caregivers (here, “parents”) were 82% biological mothers, averaging age 31 (68% Black, 7% Latine). Methods. Parent questionnaires assessed current distress and childhood experiences, including BCEs (Narayan et al., 2018). Parent-child dyads were filmed completing structured interaction tasks validated for use in families experiencing homelessness (Gewirtz et al., 2009). Trained coders scored dyads for evidence of effective discipline, problem solving, positive involvement, and skill encouragement (ICCs = .77 - .93); ratings were averaged across domains. All analyses used linear regression, standardized variables, and controlled for parent distress via Kessler-6. Analyses excluded BCEs item 10 (household predictability). Results. In a moderation model, BCEs had a main effect on current difficulty maintaining routines (β = -.258, p < .001), but childhood unpredictability did not (β = -.069, p = .155). An interaction occurred between BCEs and caregivers’ childhood unpredictability on current difficulty maintaining routines (β = .188, p < .001). Specifically, BCEs protected family routines for caregivers who had the lowest childhood unpredictability. Main effects of childhood unpredictability (β = .210, p < .001) and BCEs (β = .227, p < .001) on parenting quality were observed, but no interaction. Conclusions. BCEs were associated with better reports of current family routines amid environmental stress, a protective effect particularly notable for parents with less exposure to their own childhood unpredictability. Observed parenting quality was associated positively with both BCEs and also exposure to childhood unpredictability. The constellation of factors that promote family resilience amid adversity may include parents’ positive assets from childhood, as well as expertise gained from difficult early experiences. |
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| Paper #4 | |
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| Parental Attributional Biases as Malleable Targets to Strengthen Parenting in Minoritized Homeless Families with Preschoolers | |
| Author information | Role |
| Angela J. Narayan, University of Denver Department of Psychology, United States | Presenting author |
| Hopewell Hodges, University of Minnesota – Institute of Child Development, United States | Non-presenting author |
| Amanda W. Kalstabakken, University of Minnesota Department of Psychiatry, United States | Non-presenting author |
| Amy R. Monn, Nashville Neuropsychology and Family Services, United States | Non-presenting author |
| Ann S. Masten, University of Minnesota – Institute of Child Development, United States | Non-presenting author |
| Abstract | |
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Introduction. Multiple theoretical frameworks, including the developmental psychopathology and social information processing perspectives, and the family stress model, have illuminated pathways from childhood and cumulative adversity to parental psychological functioning to parenting. Within these frameworks, however, there is a disproportionate emphasis on risk factors linking adversity, impaired parental functioning, and negative parenting. There is less attention to malleable factors that may be effectively targeted in resilience-based intervention and prevention efforts to support positive parenting in minoritized and marginalized families. This study examined a malleable factor, parental hostile attribution biases (HABs) in the link between multiple dimensions of parental adversity and several indicators of parenting, including two indicators of positive parenting. Parental HABs reflect lower levels of empathy and compassion towards their children, and less developmentally appropriate expectations for their behavior, at least in the moment (Dodge & Crick, 1990; Sroufe et al., 1999). Alternatively, the counterparts to HABs are parental empathy, compassion, and age-appropriate developmental expectations of young children’s behavior, which are malleable parenting skills that could be strengthened to prevent intergenerational cycles of negative parenting. Hypotheses. In the present study parental HABs were hypothesized to 1) stem from multi-dimensional parental exposure to adversity and stressors and 2) predict parenting quality. Study Population. Participants included 95 mothers (M = 30.26 years, SD = 5.74, range = 20.01–45.66 years; 67.4% Black, 11.6% White, 7.4% biracial/multiracial, and 13.6% Other) and their four- to six-year-old children residing in emergency shelters in a Midwestern metro area. Methods. Mothers completed validated measures on their own childhood adversity (abuse and neglect from birth to age 18), cumulative sociodemographic risk, current perceived stress and psychological distress, HABs, and the Five-Minute Speech Sample, later coded for warm and negative expressed emotion (EE). Mother-child dyads then completed a 20-minute structured interaction subsequently coded for observed effective parenting. Results. Linear regression analyses showed that higher levels of parental childhood neglect, but not abuse, and higher levels of parents’ current perceived stress were associated with higher parental HABs (Table 1). In terms of links to parenting, parental HABs were associated with higher EE negativity and lower EE warmth toward children, as well as lower effective parenting with children (Table 2). Unexpectedly, higher maternal psychological distress was associated with lower HABs and higher observed parental skill encouragement of children. Discussion. Findings indicate that parental HABs may be partly rooted in parents’ childhood adversity characterized by neglect and also related to contemporaneous parental perceived stress. While higher parental HABs predict higher negative EE and less effective parenting, parents who have lower HABs may exhibit warmer EE towards children and more positive and effective parenting of them. Further, some parents who are highly distressed within an emergency shelter context may be able to mobilize cognitive resources for lower HABs towards children and more skill encouragement of them. In residentially unstable minoritized families, parental HABs are a promising malleable target for resilience-informed interventions to reduce negative interpretations of ambiguous child behaviors and promote more positive parenting, which could deter intergenerational cycles of negative parenting. |
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Risk and Resilience Processes in Minoritized and Marginalized Families during Pregnancy, Infancy, and Early Childhood
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Paper Symposium
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| Session Title | Risk and Resilience Processes in Minoritized and Marginalized Families during Pregnancy, Infancy, and Early Childhood |