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Digital media screens have become an essential part of our family life. However, we have insufficient knowledge about parental screen use patterns and how these affect children's socio‐emotional development. In total, 867 Canadian parents of 5‐year‐old children from the TARGet Kids! Cohort (73.1% mothers, mean ± SD age = 38.88 ± 4.45 years) participated in this study from 2014 to the end of 2019. Parents reported parental and child time on television (TV) and handheld devices and completed the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Latent profile analysis identified six latent profiles of parent screen use: low handheld users (P1, reference; n = 323), more TV than handheld (P2; n = 261), equal TV and handheld (P3; n = 177), more handheld than TV (P4; n = 57), high TV and handheld (P5; n = 38), and extremely high TV and handheld (P6; n = 11). Parents that were more likely to belong to P6 were also more likely to be living in single‐parent households compared to P1 (estimate = −1.49 ± 0.70), p =.03). High membership probability for P2 (estimate = −0.67 ± 0.32, p =.04) and P4 (estimate = −1.42 ± 0.40, p < 0.001) was associated with lower household income compared to P1. Children of parents with higher P4 (χ2 = 12.32, p < 0.001) or P5 (χ2 = 9.54, p =.002) membership probability had higher total screen time compared to P1. Finally, a higher likelihood to belong to P6 (χ2 = 6.82, p =.009) was associated with a higher SDQ Total Difficulties Score compared to P1. Thus, patterns of parent screen use were associated with child screen use and child socio‐emotional problems. The emerging link between parental screen use profiles and child behaviors suggests the need for more research on parent screen time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Becoming a parent precipitates changes in new mothers' psychological and social domains. Previous literature has focused exclusively on pregnancy and the early postpartum, but parenting is an evolving process, necessitating adaption to changing circumstances. We extended previous literature and investigate the changes in the postpartum from 3 to 18 months that occur in maternal attitudes.Methods: Using the Childbearing Attitudes Questionnaire, we collected data on mothers' ratings of maternal worries, self-efficacy, mother-infant bonding, relationship with the partner and interest in sex (n = 171 women). Data were analysed with a latent growth curve.Results: Results demonstrated stability in all maternal attitudes after 3 months postpartum. Further, different maternal attitudes are affected by different variables. Maternal worries and self-efficacy are associated with parity, postpartum depression and child temperament. Interestingly, a negative evaluation of the relationship with the partner was only associated with breastfeeding status, while interest in sex was associated with parity, socio-economic status (SES) and depressive symptoms.Conclusion: Despite general stability, different maternal attitudes related to different sets of variables. These patterns of attitudes in relation to relevant variables are discussed in terms of the literature on self-efficacy and gender roles, with important implications for clinical interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parental care has a strong impact on neurodevelopment and mental health in the offspring. Although numerous animal studies have revealed that the parental brain is a highly complex system involving many brain structures and neuroendocrine systems, human maternal parenting as a multidimensional construct with cognitive, emotional, and behavioural components has not been characterised comprehensively. This unique multi‐method analysis aimed to examine patterns of self‐reported and observed parenting from 6 to 60 months postpartum in a cohort of 496 mothers (mean maternal age = 32 years). Self‐report questionnaires assessed motivational components of mothering, parenting stress, parenting‐related mood, maternal investment, maternal parenting style, mother‐child relationship satisfaction, and mother‐child bonding at multiple time points. Observed parenting variables included the Ainsworth Sensitivity Scales at 6 and 18 months, the Behavioral Evaluation Strategies Taxonomies at 6 months, an Etch‐A‐Sketch cooperation task at 48 months, and the Parent‐Child Early Relationship Assessment at 60 months. To examine whether different latent constructs underlie these measures of maternal parenting, we conducted an exploratory factor analysis. Self‐report measures of parenting correlated only weakly with behavioural observations. Factor analysis on a subsample (n = 197) revealed four latent factors that each explained from 7% to 11% of the variance in the data (32% total variance explained). Based on the loadings of the instruments, the factors were interpreted as: Supportive Parenting, Self‐Enjoyment Parenting, Overwhelmed Parenting, and Affectionate Parenting. These factor scores showed specific associations with maternal education and depressive symptoms, as well as with child outcomes, including maternally reported internalising and externalising behavioural problems, school readiness, and child‐reported symptoms of mental health. These findings parallel the complexity of the parental brain, suggesting that maternal parenting consists of multiple components, each of which is associated with different maternal characteristics and child outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]