Children vary in how sensitive they are to experiences, with consequences for their developmental outcomes. In the current study, we investigated how behavioral sensitivity at age 3 years predicts mental health in middle childhood. Using a novel repeated measures design, we calculated child sensitivity to multiple psychological and social…

Attention deficit/hyperactivity behaviors in children are often unnoticed until they reach school age; however, evidence suggests that attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) tends to develop at an earlier age. Recent studies also indicate that perinatal maternal mental health is associated with ADHD symptoms in offspring. This study…

This study examined the development of caregiver mind-mindedness--defined as the propensity to see one's child as an agent with an independent mind--across the first 1,000 days of life. At four timepoints (i.e., third trimester of pregnancy, 4, 14, and 24 months postpartum), 384 first-time mothers (M[subscript age] = 32.55, SD = 3.63 years) and…

Online parenting interventions hold promise for increasing access to behavioral support for families with low income and who reside in rural areas. The current study evaluates the efficacy of a mobile app-based parenting support program, the Family Check-Up Online (FCU-O) with telehealth coaching support, for parents of children 1.5-5 years old at…

Research Findings: Measuring toddlers' cortisol levels both in childcare and at home and their relation to child- and childcare-related factors may help to identify stress-inducing childcare practices and children who are more vulnerable to stress in childcare. Accordingly, toddlers' (n = 320, 51.2% female, mean age = 26.8 months) cortisol levels…

There is scant empirical work on associations between current and past cannabis use in parents of young children. As recreational cannabis use is now legal in nearly half of states in the U.S., cannabis use is becoming more ubiquitous. In the current study, parents of toddler and pre-school age children were randomly assigned to participate in an…

We examined the pathway from grandparental childcare support at age 3 to child social and emotional outcomes at age 7 through maternal mental health and mother-child relationship at age 3 in a sample of n = 1495 biological mothers and their children from the UK's Millennium Cohort Study. Structural equation modelling showed that time spent in the…

In 2022-23, SRI Education conducted an evaluation of a pilot implementation of the Maine Early Childhood Consultation Partnership® (ECCP®) for Maine's Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Child and Family Services. Created and developed by Advanced Behavioral Health, Inc., ECCP® is an evidence-based, manualized model of infant and…

The impact of COVID-19 stressors on young children and families may differ based on pre-pandemic factors, including family race/ethnicity, financial stability, and pre-existing child developmental or social-emotional difficulties. The authors draw from their work with families with toddlers and preschool-aged children to explore experiences of the…

Research Findings: The primary goal of this exploratory mixed-methods study was to obtain a deeper understanding of center-based child care providers serving infants and toddlers. Secondarily, we explored the potential for a two-pronged mindfulness-based caregiving intervention for such providers to (a) reduce stress and (b) support caregiving…

This article is an excerpt from the forthcoming book, "Mental Health in the Early Years: Challenges and Pathways to Resilience', by Gail L. Ensher, David A. Clark, and Melissa M. Luke with contributing authors. This excerpt includes the value of a family systems and an ecological perspective; provides an overview of social--emotional…

Women are at greater risk of exposure to interpersonal violence during pregnancy. The influence prenatal violence has on children's behavioral adjustment is generally understood to stem from its impact on mothers, but there is a dearth of prospective research to test these models. The current study evaluated the influence of interpersonal violence…

Due to the high rates of preterm births, it is essential to examine the developmental risk factors and monitor development. The aim of our cross-sectional study is to examine the cognitive, language and motor development of LBW (<2500 g) children (N = 438) regarding sociodemographic risk factors. We measured the 2-year development with the…

The current exploratory study examines the structure and function of social support for mothers of very young children (under 24 months) with a range of disabilities who are receiving Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Part C early intervention services. The psychological well-being and social networks of 88 mothers in one state…

Autistic children have a high prevalence of co-occurring mental health, developmental/behavioral, and medical conditions, but research on sex/gender differences has been mixed. We used Florida healthcare claims data to characterize sex differences (female/male) in co-occurring conditions among autistic children ages 1-21 (N = 83,500). After…