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While the negotiation of gender roles among adults in Mexico has received considerable academic attention (Hirsch, 2003, Guttman, 1996, Melhuus, 1992, Romanucci-Ross, 1986), little is known about how Mexican children reason about gender issues and how they deal with these concerns in their everyday interactions. My research is based on a 12-month-long ethnographic fieldwork in Metztitlán, a mestizo, Spanish-speaking village with about 5000 inhabitants, located in the State of Hidalgo, central Mexico. In this paper , I will explore the attitudes of children from 6 to 11 years of age to occupational gender roles in a setting where the discourse on gender equality and its manifestations, explicitly promoted both at school and in certain situations in many homes, coexists with strongly pervasive expressions of ideas rooted in traditional values.

Abstract Background The aim of the present study was to examine the internal structure and reliability of the Attachment Insecurity Screening Inventory (AISI) 6–12. The AISI 6–12 years is a parent-report questionnaire for assessing the parents’ perspective on the quality of the attachment relationship with their child aged between 6 and 12 years. Methods The sample consisted of 681 mothers and fathers reporting on 372 children (72.3% adoption parents, 14.9% non-biological primary care takers including foster parents, and 12.8% biological parents). The internal structure was assessed with multilevel confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) and the reliability of the scores with Cronbach’s and ordinal alphas. Results Multilevel CFA confirmed a three-factor model of avoidant, ambivalent/resistant and disorganized attachment. Multi-group CFA indicated full configural and metric measurement invariance, and partial scalar and strict measurement invariance across mothers and fathers. Reliability coefficients were found to be sufficient. Conclusions This study showed the potential of using parental reports in the initial screening of attachment related problems, especially considering the practical approach of parental reports. However, further development of the AISI 6–12 years seems important to increase the validity of the AISI 6–12 years. In addition, future studies are necessary to replicate the current findings, and to strengthen the evidence that the AISI 6–12 years is appropriate for the use in middle childhood and validly assesses the parents’ perspective on attachment insecurities in their child.

The 21st century has brought unique opportunities and challenges for parents, and this is particularly true for Latinx families, whose children comprise more than one-fourth of the school-age population in the U.S. today. Taking an ecological and strengths-based approach, the current study examined the role of mothers’ cultural assets (familism values, family cohesion) and challenges (economic hardship, ethnic–race-based discrimination) on children’s educational adjustment in middle childhood, as well as the indirect role of mother–child warmth and conflict in these associations. The sample included 173 Latinx mothers and their middle childhood offspring (i.e., 5th graders and younger sisters/brothers in the 1st through 4th grade). Mothers participated in home visits and phone interviews and teachers provided ratings of children’s educational adjustment (academic and socioemotional competence, aggressive/oppositional behaviors). Findings revealed family cohesion was indirectly linked to children’s educational adjustment via mother–child warmth and conflict, particularly for younger siblings. Discussion focuses on the culturally based strengths of Latinx families and highlights potential implications for family-based prevention in middle childhood.

The present study uses a parent–offspring adoption design to examine the dual roles of heritable and environmental influences on children's mathematics achievement. Linked sets (N = 195) of adopted children, adoptive parents, and birth parents each completed a measure of mathematics fluency (i.e., simple computational operations). Birth parent mathematics achievement and adoptive father mathematics achievement positively correlated with child achievement scores at age 7, whereas adoptive mother and adopted child mathematics achievement scores were not significantly associated with one another. Additionally, findings demonstrated no significant effects of gene–environment interactions on child mathematics achievement at age 7. These results indicate that both heritable and rearing environmental factors contribute to children's mathematics achievement and identify unique influences of the paternal rearing environment on mathematics achievement in middle childhood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Successful performance on the water-level task, a common measure of spatial perception, requires adopting an environmental, rather than object-centered, spatial frame of reference. Use of this strategy has not been systematically studied in prepubertal children, a developmental period during which individual differences in spatial abilities start to emerge. In this study, children aged 8 to 11 reported their age and gender, completed a paper-and-pencil water-level task, and drew a map of their neighborhood to assess spontaneous choice of spatial frame of reference. Results showed a surprising lack of age or gender difference in water-level performance, but a significant effect of spatial frame of reference. Although they made up only a small portion of the sample, children who drew allocentric maps had the highest water-level score, with very high accuracy. These results suggest that children who adopt environmental-based reference frames when depicting their familiar environment may also use environmental-based reference frame strategies to solve spatial perception tasks, thereby facilitating highly accurate performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Children who have a good relationship with a best friend experience better social and emotional adjustment, making it critical to identify factors that foster the development of high-quality friendships. We examined whether the quality of the coparenting relationship, as perceived by each parent in middle childhood, predicted children's perceptions of the quality of their best friendship two years later. Eighty-eight families (50 girls) completed data collection at two timepoints. When children were in second grade (T1; mean age = 7.88 years), mothers and fathers each reported on the quality of their coparenting relationship. In fourth grade (T2; mean age = 9.79 years), children reported on the quality of their best friendship. Results from regression analyses showed that mothers who perceived a supportive coparenting relationship with their spouse had children who subsequently reported a relationship of higher quality with their best friend, and a post-hoc interaction analysis demonstrated that this association was magnified when fathers also perceived a supportive coparenting relationship. No direct links were found between fathers' perceptions of their coparenting relationship and children's friendships. These results suggest that the quality of the coparenting relationship, at least as perceived by mothers, relates to children's ability to establish and sustain important, intimate relationships with friends longitudinally. They also suggest that these effects are particularly pronounced when both parents agree on the quality of their coparenting relationship. Therefore, interventions aimed at promoting coparenting teamwork may help foster children's ability to form and maintain intimate friendships in middle childhood and beyond. Highlights: Research is scarce on longitudinal links between coparenting and child friendships. Mothers' coparenting reports relate to children's ability to form friendships. Links are magnified when fathers perceive a supportive coparenting relationship. Results are independent from parents' marital satisfaction. Future work should examine friendship reciprocity as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have been often shown to display similar memory performance on semantic memory tasks compared to typically developing (TD) children, there is ongoing debate about whether and how their ability to remember specific past events (i.e., episodic memory) is impaired. We assessed a sample of 62 children with ASD and 72 TD children, ranging in age between 8 and 12 years on 2 memory tasks. Participants encoded a series of images and their association with either where they appeared on the screen (item‐space association task) or with the color of an image's border (item‐color association task). Children with ASD showed worse memory in the item‐space association task compared to their TD peers, but comparable memory for the item‐color association task. These differences persisted when age, intellectual quotient, and general item recognition memory were accounted for statistically. We interpret these results in light of evidence for specific deficits along the dorsal stream affecting processing of spatiotemporal information in ASD. Autism Res 2020, 13: 1985‐1997. © 2020 International Society for Autism Research and Wiley Periodicals LLC Lay Summary: Episodic memory requires the ability to bind contextual details (such as color, location, etc.) to an item or event in order to remember the past with specific detail. Here, we compared children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and typically developing (TD) children on tasks examining episodic memory. Children with ASD recalled more poorly previously seen items and their associated space‐related details, but they performed comparably to TD children on color details. We discuss the possible mechanisms that contribute to worse spatial processing/recall in ASD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Nature engagement (NE) provides myriad psychological and physiological benefits, many of which begin in childhood and continue into adulthood. Research suggests children who have positive experiences with nature are more likely to continue engaging with nature and have more proenvironmental attitudes (PEAs) as adults. Among the benefits of NE are reduced stress, improved sleep, and improved cognitive performance, all essential criteria for healthy undergraduate life. College students in particular, because of high levels of stress, may benefit from NE, and the frequency and type of their engagement may be impacted by childhood experience. Objective: This study aimed to better understand the potential correlation between university undergraduates' past NE in their middle childhood years (MCYs) and current NE; past NE and undergraduate PEA; and undergraduate NE and stress levels. We chose to examine the middle childhood and undergraduate years because little research has been conducted on the relationship of NE between these two age groups. Methods: We used a survey of undergraduate students (n = 309) enrolled at a US university to explore the frequency and types of NE during MCYs, their family and neighborhood demographics, and current levels of NE, PEA, and stress in their undergraduate lives. Results: Although results indicated a large decrease in NE from middle childhood to undergraduate years for most participants, we found a significant positive correlation between NE during MCYs and undergraduate NE. We found a positive correlation between MCYs NE and undergraduate PEA as well as undergraduate NE and undergraduate PEA. Contrary to other studies and to our hypothesis, we did not find a correlation between undergraduate NE and reduced stress levels. Conclusion: This study looked specifically at US undergraduate students to compare their current engagement with and attitudes toward nature and the environment with their nature experiences during their formative MCYs. Our results suggest that it is important for people to have positive experiences with nature in childhood, both for continued NE and to inculcate PEAs in adulthood. These results can help in formulating approaches to improving student well-being at institutions of higher learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to the emotional and social problems encountered in disruptive behaviour disorder (DBD), there is little available information regarding the attachment processes during middle childhood. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the attachment representations to both caregivers in a sample of 84 children, aged 8–12 years (N = 42 with a diagnosis of DBD; N = 42 as a comparison group). Attachment is assessed through the Child Attachment Interview, a semi-structured interview that incorporates both narrative and behavioural assessments of attachment, permits the assessment of attachment representations using dimensional and categorical approaches, and allows for the detection of disorganisation to both parents individually. Our results point to the presence of high frequencies of insecure attachment (more than 80%) in the DBD group, with a higher percentage of dismissing attachment, and an over-representation of disorganised attachment (more than 50%). Higher levels of dismissal and lower levels of security are found in DBD than in the comparison group. No attachment differences with respect to both parents are found. Understanding how different aspects of attachment during a specific developmental phase plays a role within the broader emotional functioning of DBD has great potential to lead to innovations in evaluations and treatment processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adaptive emotion expression characterizes secure parent-child relationships in which children rely on attachment figures for secure base and safe haven support. We hypothesized that more securely attached children would report experiencing greater positive emotion. Children (N=92; M=11.91 years) completed the Friends and Family Interview which was coded for attachment security indicators (narrative coherence, mother and father safe haven support, mother and father secure base support). We analyzed Youth Values in Action Inventory strengths that reflected positive emotions (curiosity, zest, hope, love, gratitude). No attachment security indicators correlated with curiosity, all correlated with zest and gratitude, and four correlated with hope and love. Controlling for IQ, age, and temperament, attachment security significantly predicted positive emotion (12-19% variance); father secure base support uniquely predicted positive emotion. Our findings highlight the important role parental attachment plays in children's emotion experience and have implications for explaining why attachment might relate to children's other close relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Mehmet Akif Ersoy University Journal of Education Faculty is the property of Mehmet Akif Ersoy Universitesi Egitim Fakultesi Dergisi and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The breadth of children's attentional field around their mother determines whether securely or insecurely attached children are at risk to develop depressive symptoms when confronted with distress in adolescence. To test this effect longitudinally, we measured children's (Mage = 10.93; N = 109) baseline attentional breadth around their mother, attachment status (combining attachment coherence, secure base script knowledge, and self-reported trust), and self-reported depressive symptoms. One and two years later, we measured self-reported distress and depressive symptoms. We tested three-way interactions between attentional breadth × attachment × distress on changes in depressive symptoms. This three-way interaction was marginally significantly linked with changes in depressive symptoms from baseline to year 1, and significantly with changes in depressive symptoms from baseline to year 2. Results pointed to the protective role of a narrow attentional field around the mother in middle childhood for securely attached children who are confronted with distress later in life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Faculty of Educational Sciences is the property of Ankara University, Faculty of Educational Sciences and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Innovation and creativity have recently been in the center of the debate on human cultural evolution. Yet, we know very little about childrens' developing capacity to generate novel ideas, as a key component of innovation and creativity, in different cultural contexts. Here, we assessed 8‐ to 9-year-old children from an autonomous and a relational cultural context, namely Münster (urban Germany; n = 29) and Banten (rural Cameroon; n = 29). These cultural contexts vary largely in their ecology, social structure, and educational system, as well as the cultural models on children's individual development and thinking. Therefore, they provide an optimal contrast to investigate cultural similarities and differences in development of creative capacities. We applied classical divergent thinking tasks, namely an alternative uses task and a pattern association task. In these tasks, children are asked to generate as many ideas as possible what an object could be used for or what a pattern could be. First, our study revealed a good internal consistency and inter-task correlations for the assessment of children's fluency and the generation of unique ideas in both cultures. Second, and most critically, we found significantly higher levels of creative capacities in children from Münster in contrast to Banten. This was reflected in both a higher number of ideas (fluency) and a higher number of unique ideas (uniqueness). Third, looking at the type of answers that children gave in the alternative uses task, we found that children from Münster and Banten uttered a similar number of conventional ideas, but that children from Münster uttered more ideas to manipulate an object, invent novel things with an object, and involve an object in play or pretend play, or in a fantasy story. This demonstrates that early creative development is strongly influenced by the cultural context and substantiates the cultural nature of human cognitive development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined use of power resources and power effectiveness during the process and outcome of focal children's disputes with their sibling and friend across early and middle childhood. Participants included 35/46 families; focal children (15 males, 20 females) were observed at the age of four (T1) and 3 years later at the age of seven (T2) at home. Sibling and friend conflict sequences were coded for power resources (coercive physical, coercive verbal, simple information, elaborated information, legitimate), immediate power effectiveness (attempt, success), and conflict outcome. Relationship effects indicated focal children employed coercive physical and legitimate power more with siblings whereas they used simple information power more with friends during the conflict process. Focal children were more effective using legitimate power with siblings than friends in the conflict process whereas information power was used more when focal children won conflicts with friends. Regarding developmental effects, focal children employed more coercive physical power at T1 than T2 and elaborated information power at T2 than T1. In contrast, focal children were more effective using information power and coercion when winning conflicts with friends at T2 than T1. Results highlight variability in children's use of power based on relationship partner and development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Prävention und Gesundheitsförderung is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Brain imaging studies in children with prenatal methamphetamine exposure (PME) suggest structural and functional alterations of striatal, frontal, parietal, and limbic regions. However, no longitudinal studies have investigated changes in structural connectivity during the first 2 years of formal schooling. The aim of this study was to explore the effects of PME on structural connectivity of brain networks in children over the critical first 2 years of formal schooling when foundational learning takes place. Networks are expected to gradually increase in global connectedness while segregating into defined systems. Graph theoretical analysis was used to investigate changes in structural connectivity at age 6 and 8 years in children with and without PME. While healthy control children showed increased connectivity in frontal and limbic hubs over time, children with PME showed increased connectivity in the superior parietal cortex and striatum in their global network. Furthermore, compared to control children, those with PME were characterized by less change in segregation of structural networks over time. These findings are consistent with previous work on regions implicated in children with PME, but they additionally demonstrate alterations in structural connectivity between regions that underlie primary cognitive, behavioral, and emotional development. Understanding patterns of network development during critical periods in at‐risk children may inform strategies for supporting this group of children in these developmental tasks important for lifelong brain health and development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to know whether maladaptive child perfectionism (in its Self-Oriented, Socially Prescribed, and Other- Oriented dimensions) predicts feelings of loneliness and the perception of social support and if these results change according to the sex of the children. A sample of 364 Argentine boys and girls, with ages between 9 and 12 years old, was selected (M =10.26; SD=1.08). The children were evaluated using psychological tests created or adapted to Argentina. Multiple linear regression analyses showed that maladaptive perfectionism predicts peers-related loneliness, the affinity for being alone, and low perceived social support. In addition, variations were found in the prediction patterns according to sex. Concluding, maladaptive perfectionism deteriorates the social life of children that could augment their vulnerability for negative outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Preliminary evidence indicates that affective empathy is differentially related to proactive and reactive functions of aggression. However, additional longitudinal research is needed to understand the potential reciprocal nature of these links. The current study examined the bidirectional associations between affective empathy and proactive and reactive aggression over a 6-month period during middle childhood, with attention to potential gender differences. Data were collected from 294 elementary school children (52% girls; M = 9.25 years; SD = 0.944 years) and their homeroom teachers. Affective empathy was assessed using self-reports, and teachers provided ratings of children's functions of aggression. Data were collected during the fall and spring of one academic year. Overall, results suggest some evidence that affective empathy and functions of aggression are reciprocally linked over time. As predicted, Time 1 empathy was inversely associated with Time 2 proactive aggression and Time 1 reactive aggression was inversely associated with Time 2 empathy. Contrary to expectations, Time 1 proactive aggression was marginally positively associated with Time 2 empathy, and Time 1 empathy was not significantly associated with Time 2 reactive aggression. These prospective links did not differ according to gender. Implications and directions for future research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using data from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (NICHD SECCYD), we used 2-level random effects models to examine whether the quality of school and home environments during elementary school moderated associations between pre-K quality and math, reading, and vocabulary achievement from first through fifth grade. Results showed that the quality of the home environment moderated the association between pre-K quality and children's vocabulary achievement. Supportive home environments during elementary school had an additive effect over and above the positive effects of pre-K quality in predicting children's vocabulary achievement. In contrast, when children experienced high levels of pre-K quality and lower quality home learning environments, the positive effects of pre-K were less likely to be sustained. Findings suggest the importance of considering programs and policies to support home-based learning as one potential mechanism to sustain early effects of pre-K. Educational Impact and Implications Statement: This study answers an important question and finds a new angle on the issue of pre-K fadeout with the NICHD SECCYD data. Findings suggest that the long-term academic effects of pre-K quality are likely dependent on children's subsequent home experiences. Elementary home environment appears to be a promising avenue to sustain children's academic gains from pre-K quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This study investigated mentalization, operationalized as Reflective Functioning (RF), focusing on its differential subcomponents (self- and other-focused RF). The interplay between RF, attachment, and psychological maladjustment (operationalized as internalizing and externalizing problems) was examined during middle childhood in the service of forging a better understanding of the mentalizing framework. Methods: A community sample of Italian children aged 8–12 years (N = 96; Mage = 10.41 years, SD = 1.43 years) completed in an individual session the Child Attachment Interview, which later was coded for overall attachment coherence and RF by two separate teams of raters, and verbal comprehension subtests of the WISC-IV. Mothers completed the Child Behavior Checklist, comprising our measure of children's internalizing and externalizing problems. Results: Analyses showed that self-focused RF and other-focused RF together mediated the relation between attachment coherence and externalizing problems; further, only self-focused RF mediated the link between attachment coherence and internalizing problems. Conclusions: These findings contribute to theory and provide potential directions for intervention. Specifically, the findings may imply that targeting children's self-focused RF as an area of intervention may be more profitable in select psychological problems whereas in other cases it may be more useful to consider mentalizing in its totality. Possible mechanisms underlying these findings are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The available literature on parent education is growing rapidly. With numerous sources indicating that quality parenting is one of the best predictors of one's developmental trajectory across the lifespan, it has become increasingly necessary to identify the most effective programs and tools for supporting parenting skills and promoting positive child development. In this article, we describe key aspects of the best evidence‐based practices in the current parent education literature, including program implementation, program content, common themes, and an overview of some of the most promising parent education programs available for early childhood, middle childhood, and adolescence. Conclusions and suggestions for future work and applications are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated the development of children's self-reported positive (Companionship and Recreation, Validation and Caring, Help and Guidance, Intimate Disclosure, and Conflict Resolution) and negative (Conflict and Betrayal) friendship quality from the third to sixth grades using The National Institute of Child Health and Development (NICHD) Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development data (NICHD SECCYD; n = 1,364; M age = 9.03 years; 51.70% boys at recruitment). Consistent with expectations, growth models suggested that children reported higher positive, and lower negative, friendship quality with age. Boys had significantly lower positive friendship quality at third grade and slower increases than girls. Boys had slower decreases in negative friendship quality than girls. It is possible that different social orientations explain sex differences in friendship quality trajectories. Further research is needed to explore other factors that might account for individual differences in friendship quality trajectories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Child attachment security and utilization of parents as safe havens and secure bases were compared in 33 surrogacy children with gay fathers and 37 donor-conceived children with lesbian mothers during middle childhood. Assessments included data coded from parent–child interactions, interviews, and questionnaires administered to children and both parents. Findings indicated that children of gay fathers perceived high attachment security and their scores did not differ from those of children with lesbian mothers or from normative scores of children with heterosexual parents. Children's greater attachment security was associated with higher levels of parental warmth, responsiveness, and willingness to serve as an attachment figure; lower levels of parental negative control and rejection; and the child's younger age. Finally, children used the primary attachment figure more as a safe haven and the secondary attachment more as a secure base, though they reported high levels of both types of support from both parents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study assessed how children's choices of attachment figures are related to the quality of the parent-child relationship and parental economic migration in a Romanian sample. Two hundred and twenty-two children (n girls =130) 10-13 years of age completed the Attachment Figure Interview and a parental migration interview, and reported their attachment security with mother and father. Approximately 35.6% (n = 79) of children had mothers with a migration history and 48.7% (n = 104) of children had fathers with a migration history. Mothers, and to some extent fathers, serve as primary attachment figures. Grandparents, peers, siblings and relatives serve as secondary attachment figures in some situations. Further, children are less likely to choose mothers as primary attachment figures and show lower attachment security when their mothers rather than their fathers have a history of migration. Overall, this study provides empirical grounds to conceptualize parental migration as an attachment disruption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to specify the latent construct structure of the Friends and Family Interview (FFI: Steele & Steele, 2005) based on its dimensional scale coding protocol. The FFI is a semi‐structured interview measuring attachment in middle childhood. We analyzed data from 341 FFI interviews with children aged 7–12 years, recruited in the Scandinavian Öresund Region. Exploratory Factor Analysis revealed a three‐component model as best fitting the data. The first component, denoting attachment security, gathered all dimensional scales for evidence of secure base/safe haven regarding mother/father and coherence in the child's narrative style, along with scales regarding reflective functioning, self‐perception, and social functioning. The second component comprised preoccupying feelings of anger, but also derogation. The third component gathered all scales coding idealization. Inter‐relations among the components were consistent with attachment theory, and respondents' scores for all three components differed significantly across the four categorical attachment classifications. Affect regulation of negative emotion through anger and through derogation co‐occurred, and was distinct from regulation through maintaining a belief that things are better than they appear (idealization). These two affect regulation strategies appeared commonly when reflective functioning, and an organized self‐perception, and positive peer relations were less in evidence. The multi‐dimensional FFI coding system appears to measure successfully these diverse features of the child's narrative provided in response to the interview. Overall, our findings support the construct validity of the FFI and provide further evidence of its usefulness for assessing attachment in middle childhood and early adolescence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study examined relations between Theory of Mind (ToM) understanding and social competence among school-age Latino children. Participants included 62 children ages 6–12 years. Picture vocabulary was assessed via a standardized language survey, and ToM assessed via Happé's [(1994). An advanced test of theory of mind: Understanding of story characters' thoughts and feelings by able autistic, mentally handicapped and normal children and adults. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 24, 129–154. doi:] advanced ToM tasks. Parents and teachers evaluated the child's social skills using a 23 item social competence inventory consisting of one positive and two forms of negative behaviours: relational aggression and overt hostility. Results indicated that girls scored significantly higher on positive social behaviour compared to boys. Overall, positive associations were found between children's ToM ability and positive (but not negative) social behaviour. Results and implications about the socioemotional processes underlying ToM development are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the last two decades, technologies available to children have accelerated with the advent of wireless internet and increasing portability and affordability of electronic devices. Children's technology use is a rapidly evolving challenge for families, organizing their everyday lives and potentially resulting in social disparities in technology use and displacement of healthy behaviors. This study examined time spent on technology use, physical activity, play, and sleep by US children across early (ages 2–5) and middle (ages 6–11) childhood in two cohorts using time diary data with a focus on variation by class and race. Data came from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics Child Development Supplement in 1997 (N = 2193) and 2014–2016 (N = 1009). Multivariate regression models estimated total time spent engaged in technology use, physical activity, unstructured play, and sleep. Total time spent engaged with technology increased 32% since 1997 in early childhood and 23% in middle childhood. Technology use was lowest for children with the most highly educated parents. In the more recent cohort, technology use was associated with displacement of physical activity in middle childhood but with increased play in early childhood and increased sleep in middle childhood. Results suggest that changes over time in technology use have restructured children's everyday lives in ways that may be consequential for health and development, but co-occurring declines in physical activity and unstructured play cannot be attributed solely to technology time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interoception, often defined as the perception of internal physiological changes, is implicated in many adult social affective processes, but its effects remain understudied in the context of parental socialization of children's emotions. We hypothesized that what parents know about the interoceptive concomitants of emotions, or interoceptive knowledge (e.g., "my heart races when excited"), may be especially relevant in emotion socialization and in supporting children's working models of emotions and the social world. We developed a measure of mothers' interoceptive knowledge about their own emotions and examined its relation to children's social affective outcomes relative to other socialization factors, including self‐reported parental behaviors, emotion beliefs, and knowledge of emotion‐relevant situations and non‐verbal expressions. To assess these, mothers (N = 201) completed structured interviews and questionnaires. A few months later, third‐grade teachers rated children's social skills and emotion regulation observed in the classroom. Results indicated that mothers' interoceptive knowledge about their own emotions was associated with children's social affective skills (emotion regulation, social initiative, cooperation, self‐control), even after controlling for child gender and ethnicity, family income, maternal stress, and the above maternal socialization factors. Overall, findings suggest that mothers' interoceptive knowledge may provide an additional, unique pathway by which children acquire social affective competence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent research has shown that individual differences in theory of mind (ToM) during middle childhood are linked with individual differences in children's peer relationships. The present longitudinal study investigated this association more deeply, exploring the potential mediating role played by children's social anxiety. We tested a group of 66 children (11.5 years old at Time 1) three times over one year after their transition to secondary school. Over and above language, SES and stability in individual differences, ToM performance shortly after starting secondary school (Time 1) predicted higher peer acceptance, as well as lower peer rejection, one year later (Time 3) via lower levels of social anxiety over time (Time 2). This study extends our knowledge about the links between social understanding and interpersonal relations in middle childhood. The results suggest that ToM may play an important role in children's adjustment when confronting new social contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Within the learner–teacher relationship, learners receive messages of who they are in the eyes of the teacher and in this way their self-configuration is shaped by the interactions with their teacher. To understand their self-configuration experiences it is important that their voices be heard regarding their own experiences within their relationships with their teachers. This article focuses on learners' self-configuration experiences within this relationship from the Gestalt field theory and Dialogical theory of self-perspectives. A qualitative case study design was followed with nine learners with mild learning difficulties. The participants were purposively selected and participated voluntary. The results showed that, when teachers spend time with learners, they ascribe meaning to themselves, feeling valued, confident and experiencing a sense of worthiness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Interventions have been developed to promote the development of secure and organized attachments during early childhood among children who have experienced early adversity, yet little is known about whether the effects of these early interventions are sustained beyond 12 months postintervention. The current study examined whether receiving the Attachment and Biobehavioral Catch‐Up (ABC) intervention during infancy led to improvements in perceived attachment security in middle childhood among 100 Child Protective Services (CPS)‐referred children. Methods: Children and parents were randomized to receive ABC or a control intervention during infancy. Children completed the Kerns Security Scale at age nine (Mage = 9.46, SD = 0.36). (Trial Registry Name: Intervening Early with Neglected Children; Registry ID: NCT02093052; URL for registry: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02093052?term=dozier&rank=1). Results: Children whose parents received ABC reported higher levels of attachment security on the Kerns Security Scale at age nine than children whose parents had received the control intervention, t(98) = 2.31, p =.023, d = 0.49. Conclusions: Findings underscore the long‐term benefits of intervening early to promote caregiving quality among at‐risk families and demonstrate the efficacy of a brief 10‐session intervention in promoting attachment security over the span of eight years in a sample of CPS‐referred children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When a test is revised, it is important that test users are made aware of the comparability of scores of the new and the original test. We examined how scores on the Test of Gross Motor Development–Second Edition (TGMD-2) and Test of Gross Motor Development–Third Edition (TGMD-3) compared among children in middle childhood. Participants were 270 children recruited in grade 3 (54% female; Mage = 8 years 6 months) and followed through grade 5. Participants completed the skills of both tests. Subtest scores were converted into percent of maximum possible (POMP) scores to facilitate comparison. Although similar, uniformly the TGMD-3 POMP scores were slightly lower. Repeated measures analyses of variance revealed that locomotor subtest scores derived from both tests improved from grade 3 to grade 5, as did TGMD-3 assessed ball skills. However, there was no difference in TGMD-2 assessed object control skills over time. It appears that under-contribution by the underhand roll suppressed the trajectory of improvement of TGMD-2 assessed object control skills. This finding supports the exclusion of the roll from the TGMD-3. The consistent pattern of sex-based differences in TGMD-2 object control skill and TGMD-3 ball skills reinforces the need for male and female norm-reference data for ball skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies show relations between executive function (EF), Theory of Mind (ToM), and conduct-problem (CP) symptoms. However, many studies have involved cross-sectional data, small clinical samples, pre-school children, and/or did not consider potential mediation effects. The present study examined the longitudinal relations between EF, ToM abilities, and CP symptoms in a population-based sample of 1,657 children between 6 and 11 years (T1: M = 8.3 years, T2: M = 9.1 years; 51.9% girls). We assessed EF skills and ToM abilities via computerized tasks at first measurement (T1), CP symptoms were rated via parent questionnaires at T1 and approximately 1 year later (T2). Structural-equation models showed a negative relation between T1 EF and T2 CP symptoms even when controlling for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms and other variables. This relation was fully mediated by T1 ToM abilities. The study shows how children's abilities to control their thoughts and behaviors and to understand others' mental states interact in the development of CP symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two experiments investigate whether children ages 5 through 10 (n = 121) take into account an individual's role when choosing what information to share or with whom to share it. In Experiment 1, children heard statements about an unfamiliar animal's behavior and appearance. They then chose one statement to share with each of two characters with different job descriptions. Seven-year-olds consistently shared the information that aligned with each character's role, but 5-year-olds and a subset of 9-year-olds did not. Experiment 2 showed that children's decisions about what to share were not driven by their personal preferences for the information they were sharing. In addition, when children were provided with a single fact and had to choose with whom to share it, 7- and 9-year-olds shared information with the recipient for whom it was most relevant. Together, the findings suggest that by age 7, children can use information about an individual's occupational role in order to infer what information to share. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to investigate the perception of happiness of children in the middle childhood stage and adolescents. In this context, it was sought to answer the questions of how children define happiness, how they make people around them happy, and what other people around them do to make them happy. Also, it was investigated whether there is a difference between children of middle childhood stage and adolescents regarding those questions. The research employed a qualitative phenomenological method, and the sample of the study was selected from a rural area of Ağrı province. The study group consisted of 95 participants 48 of whom are at middle chilhood and 47 pre-adolescents. Within the scope of the research, data were obtained through semi-structured interviews that were formed through expert opinions. Content and descriptive analyses were used in the analysis of the data. As a result of the research, it was found that there was a similarity between the methods of children's making and being happy; however, there were some differences in terms of development levels and gender. Besides that, considering the obtained results, there was a consistency with the existing litreature about the perceptions of happiness. The results were discussed in terms of the literature on happiness, and child development and education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adrenarche, the post-natal rise of DHEA and DHEAS, is unique to humans and the African Apes. Recent findings have linked DHEA in humans to the development of the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (LDPFC) between the ages of 4–8 years and the right temporoparietal junction (rTPJ) from 7 to 12 years of age. Given the association of the LDLPFC with the 5-to-8 transition and the rTPJ with mentalizing during middle childhood DHEA may have played an important role in the evolution of the human brain. I argue that increasing protein in the diet over the course of human evolution not only increased levels of DHEAS, but linked meat consumption with brain development during the important 5- to-8 transition. Consumption of animal protein has been associated with IGF-1, implicated in the development of the adrenal zona reticularis (ZR), the site of DHEAS production. In humans and chimps, the zona reticularis emerges at 3–4 years, along with the onset of DHEA/S production. For chimps this coincides with weaning and peak synaptogenesis. Among humans, weaning is completed around 2 ½ years, while synaptogenesis peaks around 5 years. Thus, in chimpanzees, early cortical maturation is tied to the mother; in humans it may be associated with post-weaning provisioning by others. I call for further research on adrenarche among the African apes as a critical comparison to humans. I also suggest research in subsistence populations to establish the role of nutrition and energetics in the timing of adrenarche and the onset of middle childhood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contemporary research suggests that attachment has both a trait‐like, stable component, and a state‐like component that varies across contexts. In the current study, we assessed state attachment variability across comparably distressing situations in middle childhood. In two samples, children reported their expectations of maternal support in each situation. Additionally, we administered trait attachment and psychological well‐being measures. Results indicated that, overall, children varied in their expectations across situations: more than half of the variance was explained by intra‐individual differences across situations. Results revealed two components underlying variability: a Signal‐and‐Support component reflecting expectations of support‐seeking and receiving, and a Back‐on‐Track component reflecting expectations of stress reduction and comfort. State attachment variability was related to individual differences in trait attachment: children who are more securely attached at the trait level, overall appear to vary less in their state attachment, likely due to their high mean state attachment scores across situations. When the mean state attachment scores are accounted for, more securely attached children seem to vary more, suggesting that their state attachment expectations are more sensitive to contextual fluctuations. Importantly, degree of state attachment variability explained psychological well‐being over and above trait attachment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although considerable research has sought to establish the influence of parent-child attachment on child socioemotional adaptation, it has primarily focused on mother-child dyads and external reports of adaptation. The current study investigates the longitudinal associations between both preschool mother-child and father-child attachment and self-reported socioemotional adaptation in middle childhood. Eighty-three children (47 girls) participated in separate lab visits with each parent at both Time 1 (3–5 years old) and Time 2 (7–11 years old). Results revealed that father-child attachment assessed with the MacArthur Preschool Attachment Coding System was uniquely related to child self-esteem, such that insecure children had significantly lower self-esteem scores than what was expected by chance. Children insecurely attached to their father also reported significantly higher externalizing problems than secure children, but this relationship was only significant if the child was also insecurely attached to their mother. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evidence is lacking about the factors that are pivotal in enhancing the exploration of surrogacy origins in children of gay fathers during middle childhood. The present study examined the separate and combined influences of child attachment security and parental scaffolding (i.e., fathers' attempts to accept, encourage, and emotionally support their children's expression of thoughts and feelings) during discussions about conception on children's exploration of their surrogacy origins in 30 Italian children born to gay fathers through gestational surrogacy. Within each family, both father–child dyads (n = 60) participated in a 5-minute videotaped conversation regarding an aspect of the child's conception when children were mean aged 8.3 years (t1). At this time, children were also administered the Security Scale Questionnaire to evaluate their attachment security. Approximately 18 months later (t2; M age = 9.9 years), children were interviewed about their surrogacy origins. Linear mixed models (LMMs) for longitudinal data indicated that, with higher levels of parental scaffolding, only children who perceived greater attachment security reported greater exploration of their surrogacy origins. The findings are the first to underscore the importance of conversations about surrogacy within the context of parent–child attachment relationships, as well as the importance of fathers sensitively supporting their children as they explore their origins during middle childhood. In doing so, it is expected that fathers will likely facilitate their children's positive integration of their surrogacy conception into a coherent sense of identity during adolescence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intimate partner violence, particularly against women, is widely studied owing to its high rates, based on transnational data. Colombia, where this form of violence is considerably common, is no exception, and such violence is occurring more and more often in increasingly younger couples (10−14 years old). Further, risk factors such as wide acceptance, the justification of intimate partner violence, extremely rigid traditional gender roles, and poor socio-emotional skills play a crucial role. In accordance with this reality, a gender-based intimate partner violence prevention program was designed, implemented, and evaluated for primary school children in Colombia based on a review of successful preventive programs and an identification of the main predictors of intimate partner violence. The program was evaluated using a quantitative study with a quasi-experimental design that included an experimental and a control group. In total, 344 participants were involved in the study: 195 boys (56.7%) and 149 girls (43.4%) from the second and third grades of a primary school (average age: 7.8 years) at a Colombian educational institution. The experimental group consisted of 200 participants and the control group of 144 participants. The program's effectiveness was evaluated by measuring three groups of variables (gender stereotypes, the acceptance of violence, and socio-emotional skills) using reliable scales. To analyze the program's effectiveness, mixed ANOVAs with a within-subjects factor (when the group was measured), two between-subjects factors (group and gender), and a covariate (age) were used. The results showed that the participants in the experimental group had lower scores in gender stereotypes, acceptance of peer aggression, and acceptance of physical violence against women compared to the control group. Conversely, they had higher scores in affective empathy after the intervention; both groups showed no significant differences before the intervention. This program is highly relevant because it has proven to have a positive impact on the participants and is innovative due to the lack of preventive programs that have been implemented in primary education and evaluated within the Colombian context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Vitamin D deficiency (VDD) is associated with depression and schizophrenia in adults. The effect of VDD in childhood on behavioral development is unknown.Objectives: We aimed to study the associations of VDD and vitamin D binding protein (DBP) in middle childhood with behavior problems in adolescence.Methods: We quantified plasma total 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] and DBP in 273 schoolchildren aged 5-12 y at recruitment into a cohort study in Bogota, Colombia. Externalizing and internalizing behavior problems were assessed after a median 6-y follow-up by parental report [Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL)] and self-report [Youth Self-Report (YSR)]. We estimated mean problem score differences with 95% CIs between exposure categories using multivariable linear regression. We also compared the prevalence of clinical behavior problems (score >63) between exposure groups. We assessed whether the associations between DBP and behavior problems were mediated through VDD.Results: Mean ± SD CBCL and YSR externalizing problems scores were 56.5 ± 9.3 and 53.2 ± 9.5, respectively. Internalizing problems scores averaged 57.1 ± 9.8 and 53.7 ± 9.8, respectively. VDD [25(OH)D <50 nmol/L] prevalence was 10.3%. VDD was associated with an adjusted 6.0 (95% CI: 3.0, 9.0) and 3.4 (95% CI: 0.1, 6.6) units higher CBCL and YSR externalizing problems scores, respectively, and an adjusted 3.6 (95% CI: 0.3, 6.9) units higher CBCL internalizing problems scores. The prevalence of clinical total externalizing problems was 1.8 (95% CI: 1.1, 3.1) times higher in children with VDD than that in children without VDD. DBP concentration below the population median was related to higher YSR aggressive behavior and anxious/depressed subscale scores and to higher prevalence of clinical total externalizing problems. The associations between DBP and behavior problems were not mediated through VDD.Conclusions: VDD and low DBP in middle childhood are related to behavior problems in adolescence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This study investigated what low-income, African American mothers say to their children about the value of education and how children respond to these messages. Method: Qualitative methods were used to analyze 43 videotaped mother–child conversations about disagreements regarding school and education. The conversations had been videotaped for the Early Head Start Research and Evaluation Project when children were in fifth grade. Results: The majority of discussions about school and education were initiated by mothers, not children. Mothers' reasons concerning the importance of education mostly reflected utility values. No mother criticized teachers or accepted children's attempts to blame external factors for poor performance. Children were open with their mothers and seemed to accept their standards. Conclusions: The findings underscore the sincerity of most mothers' communications to children about the importance of education and their children's receptivity to these messages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Subjective well-being as a new field of social science research is calling for unique and innovative metrics and research methods. Studying the well-being of children introduces additional hurdles for data collection and research. The current field-favorite survey, the Personal Wellbeing Index-School Children (PWI-SC), asks participants to rate their "happiness" on a rating scale for seven domains of well-being and overall satisfaction with life. Current literature in the field of developmental and family science informs on the cognitive capabilities of children throughout their development and suggests that children in middle childhood may lack the ability to express abstract ideas (happiness) in a concrete format, such as a rating scale. Using comparative analysis of the PWI-SC and personal interviews, data from 33 participants aged 6-10 suggests that the PWI-SC is invalid and unreliable when used alone for participants under the age of 10. Furthermore, some of the language used in the PWI-SC provokes tangential but inaccurate impressions in a majority of participants, acting as a barrier for gathering information about specific domains of wellbeing. To increase the reliability and accuracy of subjective well-being studies with children in middle childhood, researchers should consider the use of qualitative measures such as personal interviews in conjunction with quantitative such measures as the PWI-SC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Grounded in Attachment Theory core conceptualization, maternal caregiving system, and reflective functioning this study aimed at examining whether maternal mental state and dispositions translate to how mothers play with their children. Methods: This study utilized an explanatory sequential mixed-method design consisting of qualitative approach and a quantitative cross-sectional design to explore maternal caregiving, reflective functioning, and support provided to child during joint play at the home environment. Seventy mother-child dyads were sampled for the quantitative phase. Measures used: Caregiving System Function scale, Rumination-Reflection Questionnaire, and an observation scale, Parent/Caregiver Support of Child's Playfulness to asses 15-min video recording of joint play. Next, twenty observations were selected for the qualitative analysis. Results: Maternal avoidant caregiving predicted reflective functioning, R2 = 0.15, β = −0.038. Anxious caregiving predicted rumination tendency, R2 = 0.16, β = 0.41. Reflective functioning predicted maternal support during joint play, R2 = 0.27, β = 0.27. Maternal caregiving dispositions predicated reflective functioning, which in turn predicted maternal support of child playfulness during joint play. From the qualitative analysis, of a sub-set of 20 dyads, the Balancing of task-oriented and process-oriented behaviors framework emerged and deepened our understanding of joint play experience during middle childhood period. Conclusions: Mothers who demonstrated enhanced support of their child's playfulness demonstrated higher reflective functioning. Researchers, as well as clinicians, can use the proposed framework to explore maternal support and parental dispositions and its effect on child's and dyadic behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fields of psychology and psychiatry are increasingly recognizing the importance of replication efforts. The current study aimed to replicate previous findings examining the construct validity and psychometric properties of a psychotic-like experiences (PLEs) measure in middle childhood using an independent subset of the baseline Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) sample. Using a remainder baseline sample of 7013 nine- to eleven-year-old children with complete data, we examined measurement invariance across race/ethnicity and sex, and examined the associations between the Prodromal Questionnaire Brief-Child Version (PQ-BC) and other measures of PLEs, internalizing symptoms, neuropsychological test performance, and developmental milestones, to determine whether previously obtained results replicated in this nonoverlapping baseline sample subset. The results replicated measurement invariance across ethnicity and sex, and analyses again found higher PQ-BC scores for African American (β = .364, 95% CI = 0.292, 0.435) and Hispanic (β = .255, 95% CI = 0.185, 0.324) groups. We also replicated that higher PQ-BC scores were associated with psychosis risk measures, higher rates of childreported internalizing symptoms (Distress: β = .378, 95% CI = 0.357,0.398), neuropsychological test performance deficits (eg, working memory; Distress: β = -.069, 95% CI = -0.096, -0.042), and motor (Distress: β = .026, 95% CI = 0.003, 0.049) and speech (Distress: β = .042, 95% CI = 0.018, 0.065) developmental milestone delays. The current results replicated many findings from the original study examining the PQ-BC. We replicated evidence for mean differences in race/ethnicity, and associations with other PLE measures, greater internalizing symptoms, cognitive impairments, and developmental milestone delays. These findings indicate robust and reliable associations between PLEs and hypothesized correlates can be found in middle childhood nonclinical samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Theoretical accounts and experimental data on young children have shown that executive functions (EFs) are predicted by experiential factors. However, studies on school‐aged children are rare. The present study has addressed this gap using a short‐term cross‐lagged longitudinal design focusing on the relationship between working memory (WM), conflict inhibition (CI), and peer acceptance (PA) and rejection (PR) in middle childhood. 245 children, aged 8 to 12 years at Time 1 (M = 10.03 years, SD = 1.21 years), were tested three times over 1 year. SEM showed that (a) PA at Times 1 and 2 positively predicted WM at Times 2 and 3 and (b) PR at Time 1 negatively predicted CI at Time 2. Our findings are in line with the view that EFs are significantly affected by children's social life at school and are interpreted in light of the regulatory depletion model and of the socio‐constructivist models. Highlights: We examine cross‐lagged associations between children's peer relationships and executive functions in the school context.Peer acceptance predicts working memory development and peer rejection predicts inhibition development in middle childhood.Executive functioning development is sensitive to children's social experiences with peers at school. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An increasing amount of empirical attention is focused on adrenocortical synchrony as an index of biobehavioral co‐regulation between parent and child in the context of early child development. Working with an ethnically diverse community sample of children (N = 99, 50.5% male, ages 9–12), we collected saliva samples from mother–child dyads prior to and after a laboratory‐based performance challenge task, and tested whether maternal overcontrol and child age moderated dyadic synchrony in cortisol. Results revealed that cortisol levels between mothers and children were significantly positively correlated at pretask for dyads with mean age and older children only, at 25‐min post‐task for all dyads, and at 45‐min post‐task for all dyads. Higher overcontrol/older child dyads exhibited a unique pattern of cortisol synchrony wherein at pretask, mother–child levels had the strongest positive correlation, whereas at 25 and 45 min, mother–child cortisol levels were significantly inversely correlated. These findings contribute to theory and research on parent–child relationships by examining parenting behavior, developmental stage, and adrenocortical synchrony in tandem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]