Browsing by Subject "Mother and child"
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Item A re-evaluation of gender label effects: expectant mothers' responses to infants(Texas Tech University, 1979-05) Carver, William ShermanNot availableItem Blind mothers' perceptions of their interactions and parenting experiences with their sighted infants and toddlers(2004) Shackelford, Stacey Lynn; Turner, K. WhisnantThe purpose of this study was to explore blind mothers' perceptions of the impact of their blindness as it relates to interactions with their young child and with their parenting experiences. A qualitative exploratory design was used to obtain descriptive data through multiple in-depth interviews. Participants were seven totally or legally blind mothers who were the primary caregivers of their sighted child, ages 9 month through three years of age. Participants were identified through contacts from national organizations, State of Texas human service agencies, and through word-of-mouth. Results showed that these blind mothers perceived a sense of overall competency in caring for and interacting with their child. The mothers reported on specific factors related to raising a child as a blind parent such as fears and concerns, joys of parenting, societal biases, safety, transportation, support needs and attitudes, and maternal-child interactions.Item Comparison of mother-child interactions in hyperactive and nonhyperactive groups under distraction conditions(Texas Tech University, 1978-08) Lundy, Nancy CatherineNot availableItem Depression in youth: exploring the relationship among maternal depressive symptomatology, perceived critical maternal messages, and the cognitive triad(2004) Wendland, Deborah Ann; Stark, Kevin Douglas.; Robinson, SheriAlthough numerous studies have empirically documented the risks to the children of depressed mothers, few studies have attempted to investigate the possible mechanisms that may be responsible for these risks. Cognitive theories of depression suggest that depressogenic cognitions have their roots in early learning experiences within the family. Empirical evidence has accumulated that both depressed mothers and the parents of depressed children tend to be more critical of their children and more negative in their interactions with them. Recent studies even indicate that highly critical family communication patterns are associated with a childís vulnerability to depression. Utilizing Beck's cognitive theory of depression, this dissertation focuses on the relationship between variables in a hypothetical model which link mother's severity of depressive symptomatology, critical maternal messages as perceived by the child, the child's cognitive triad (view of self, world, and future), and the child's severity of depression. Drawn from a larger research study investigating childhood emotional and behavioral disorders, the participants were 38 adolescents who were receiving services in a psychiatric residential treatment center and their mothers. The adolescents completed a clinical interview to assess depression severity and two self-report measures to assess their perceptions of maternal messages as well as their own views of self, world, and future (cognitive triad). The mothers in the study completed a self-report measure on their own psychiatric functioning. Four mediational hypotheses were tested to explore the relationships between variables in the hypothesized model summarized above. Results did not support any of the mediational hypotheses. Consistent with Beckís cognitive theory of depression, a more negative view of self, world, and future was predictive of a greater severity level of depression in adolescents. Theoretical and clinical implications are discussed, as well as the studyís limitations and suggestions for future research.Item The effect of mothers responsiveness to children's social smiles on children's engagement behavior(2005) Cheng, Nina; Dix, Theodore H.; Tharinger, DeborahAlthough it is known that mother’s general responsiveness to children’s emotion predicts the long-term outcomes in children, the processes underlying the effect of mothers’ responsiveness are poorly understood. This study examined the effect of mother’s moment-to-moment responsiveness and unresponsiveness to children’s smiles on children’s interest in engaging their mothers during ongoing interaction. In 20-minute videotaped mother-child interaction, children’s smiles, mothers’ responsiveness, and children’s engagement were coded. Children’s smiles were identified by using Izard’s AFFEX facial coding system. Mothers’ responses to these smiles were coded as responsive or unresponsive. Children’s reactions in turn were coded as engaging or not engaging. It was found that children engaged mothers more when mothers were responsive than unresponsive to children’s smiles. Furthermore, the effect of mothers’ responsiveness to children’s smile was found in the first 5-second interval but not in the 2nd, 3rd, or 4th 5-second intervals. Finally, the latency to children’s first engagement was shorter when mothers were responsive than unresponsive. These findings may elucidate one potential explanatory process underlying the effects of mothers’ responsiveness to children’s emotion on children’s development.Item The effects of changes in maternal depressive symptoms on children's school functioning in a high-risk sample: the mediating role of maternal behaviors, children's social competence, and children's emotional adjustment(2004) Valdez Chávez, Carmen Renée; Stark, Kevin Douglas.; Keith, Timothy, 1952-Depression is a highly prevalent disorder among women of childbearing age. At any given time, approximately 8-12% of mothers are clinically depressed. Maternal depression has been associated with problematic outcomes in families, including impaired parenting, higher levels of conflict, socio-emotional difficulties in children, and poor academic outcomes for children. Although the effects of maternal depression on children have been well documented, little is known about children’s functioning once mothers’ symptoms change or alleviate. There is also a gap in knowledge about how maternal depressive symptoms affect children’s outcomes. The purpose of this study is to move beyond the description of effects of maternal depression on children to examine some underlying mechanisms that explain the effects of changes in maternal depressive symptoms on children’s educational functioning. The sample consisted of 106 low- income families in which the majority of mothers were depressed and participating in a randomized treatment intervention. Women’s symptoms of depression were assessed at baseline and 8-10 months later, while maternal behaviors, children’s social competence, emotional adjustment, and their academic outcomes (school behaviors, academic achievement, academic performance) were assessed at 12 months of baseline. Findings suggested that changes in maternal depressive symptoms 8-10 months after baseline affected maternal or parenting behaviors but did not influence children’s later social, emotional and education outcomes. The initial level of maternal depressive symptoms, on the other hand, had a meaningful influence on children’s later school behaviors and academic performance though changes in social competence and emotional adjustment in children. The initial level of maternal depressive symptoms had a direct effect on children’s later academic achievement, but this effect was not explained by maternal behaviors or children’s socio-emotional functioning. Thus, support was found for maternal depression to have a long-term effect on children’s adjustment. The findings were discussed in the context of the existing literature and recommendations for future research included overcoming barriers to identifying depression in low-income samples, implementing and evaluating preventive interventions for depression, designing interventions that promote family and community resources, and designing school-based policies and interventions for the effective identification and intervention of children at risk for problematic outcomes.Item Filial therapy: outcome and process(Texas Tech University, 1982-12) Lebovitz, Christina KNot availableItem Genetic and environmental influences of maternal psychosocial and antisocial tendencies on the development, stability, and continuity of problem behaviors in adoptees from the Texas Adoption Project: a life course investigation of risk, resilience, and vulnerability(2006) Ernst, Jody Lynn; Horn, Joseph M.; Matjasko, Jennifer L.Utilizing a 30 year longitudinal investigation of 300 adoptive families, the influence of both general and specific maternal psychological functioning on the development, stability, and continuity of problem behaviors was investigated. In the first part of the investigation, biological and adoptive mothers’ scores on eight subscales from the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory were investigated to discover whether general psychosocial functioning, defined as the number of elevated subscales scores, or specific subscales were related to problem behavior development during childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. Based on earlier findings from the Texas Adoption Project (Loehlin, Willerman, & Horn, 1982, 1987), it was predicted that birth mothers’ general psychosocial functioning would predict problem behavior development in their adopted away offspring during adolescence and adulthood, but that the adoptive mothers’ general functioning would predict behavior problems during childhood. I also predicted that the birth mothers’ specific subscales, namely the psychopathic deviate scale, would be the strongest predictor of adoptee behavior problems across the entire life span. These hypotheses were generally supported. In the second part of the investigation, the stability and continuity of problem behaviors were assessed to explore whether mean and intraindividual trends in behavior, from childhood through middle-adulthood, differ as a function of gender, adoptive status, and relative risk status. Genetic and shared environmental influences on problem behavior development and continuity were also investigated using correlations between biologically related and non-related sibling pairs. Trends in both mean behavioral stability and intra-individual continuity were found to differ between groups and genetic effects were found for the development of, but not continuity in, problem behaviors. Finally, individual and family environmental characteristics were investigated as potential risk or protective factors for two groups of adoptees that varied in the amount of genetic risk they faced for problem behavior development. Findings from the investigation highlight the necessity for using genetically informative, longitudinal samples to investigate the influence of maternal psychological functioning on the development of problem behavior. The importance of conducting analyses of the influences of genetics and environmental factors separately for males and females, as well as for Higher-Risk individuals, is also addressed.Item Mass media influence on first-time mothers(Texas Tech University, 1980-08) Moffatt, Jean FlippinObjectives of this paper were to measure the amount of use first-time mothers make of the mass media for information on pregnancy and childrearing, and the corresponding impact of media use on the mother-infant dyad. In preparation for the study, extensive research was done on the capabilities of an infant to communicate before birth and during the six months following birth. The mother-infant dyad was also studied to determine the importance of the mother's recognizing her infant's individuality, his abilities, and his desire to communicate. The study was carried out in two ways. First, one mother-infant dyad in which the mother prepared herself for her role through media use was observed over a six-month period. Second, first-time mothers of all backgrounds from a small community of 7,000 people were mailed a questionnaire which asked personal history questions, the extent to which they used the media for pregnancy and childrearing information, and an evaluation of their own dyad. Results showed books as the main media source of information, followed by booklets and pamphlets, with magazines third. Television, newspapers, and radio were least used. Age, education, and income showed a high relationship to book and booklet use, but a negative one to radio, television and newspaper use. Greater media use, more education, and a higher maternal age at the birth of the child resulted in an earlier recognition of the child as an individual and in greater significance being attached to his communication attempts. Apart from the mass media, medical personnel were found to be the most-used, source of information. Books, however, were more used than such non-media sources as family members, friends, and training in school. The accessibility of books, their extensive coverage of the subject, and their helpful indexing were cited as major reasons for widespread use. Lack of programming and articles were the reasons for less use of television, radio and magazines. The study suggests that mothers who use the mass media for information on their children are better prepared for what to expect from their babies and are better able to communicate with them and to understand their communication efforts. It also, provides evidence supporting greater efforts by all of the media to present helpful pregnancy and childrearing information, particularly that which encourages mothers to respond positively to an infant's attempts to communicate- Such a response fosters development of a healthy self-image and an acceptance of the world around him.Item Maternal depressive symptoms and parenting behavior: child behavior as an activator of maternal responsiveness(2007-05) Meunier, Leah Justine, 1978-; Dix, TheodoreMaternal depression is an important correlate of parental competence and child outcomes. The relationships among maternal depression and both parent and child outcome variables have been empirically validated. However, the mechanisms through which depression exerts its influence on maternal responsiveness have received less scrutiny. 137 mother-toddler dyads from a non-clinical sample were observed during a 20-minute interaction. Results showed that low child emotional expressiveness and behavioral assertiveness both result from and contribute to the unsupportive parenting of mothers high in depressive symptoms. The presence of both child effects and parent effects implies a bidirectional system of mother-child influence in the regulation of supportive interactions.Item Maternal teaching strategies and cognitive tempo in young children(Texas Tech University, 1979-12) Wilgen, Julie MapesThe purpose of the present study was to examine the relationship between cognitive tempo (reflection-impulsivity) in children and specific labeling and focusing behaviors of mothers as they taught their children two problem-solving tasks. Two measures of cognitive tempo were administered to 44 preschool children, ages 46 to 67 months. The children and their mothers were then placed together in a structured laboratory setting. Maternal behaviors were videotaped while the mothers taught their children a block-sorting task and engaged in a discussion of alternatives to a photographed problem situation. Results indicated that there was a significant relationship between children's cognitive tempo and maternal specificity on the block task but not on the photo problem. Mothers of impulsive children used more statements relevant to task solution than did mothers of reflective children. There was also a significant relationship between children's cognitive tempo scores and self-report data from mothers on their general parenting style. Discussion centered on explaining these results and addressing methodological issues relative to maternal behaviors and cognitive tempo in young children.Item Mothers' Conversations With Two-Year-Olds: Analysis of Discourse and Function(Texas Tech University, 1978-05) Lange, Gail ThompsonNot Available.Item Parents as agents of change for the prevention of obesity in young children(2004) Klohe, Deborah Marie; Freeland-Graves, Jeanne H.The purpose of this research was to determine the effects of a weight loss program on maternal nutrition knowledge and the diet and activity of her 1-3 year old child. In addition, physical, demographic, dietary, and psychosocial factors related to child weightfor-height were examined. All four studies utilized data from one sample of low-income, tri-ethnic mothers and children (n=191). In study 1, a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) for 1-3 year olds was developed and validated in 77 tri-ethnic, low-income mothers who completed FFQs and 3-day diet records for their child. Reliability was evaluated by comparing food group servings/day on test- and retest-FFQs. Concurrent validity of the FFQ as compared to 3-day diet records also was determined. Mean coefficients were 0.69 for reliability, 0.41 for validity, and 78% of the children were classified correctly. In study 2, 91 Hispanic, African American, and Caucasian, overweight/obese mothers of a 1-3 year old child participated in an 8-week program emphasizing healthful eating, exercise, and lifestyle changes. Energy intakes of the child were reduced to acceptable levels, and both mothers and children decreased total/saturated fat, high-fat snacks/desserts, sweetened beverages, and fast foods, and increased home-prepared meals. Physical activity also improved in both mothers and children. In study 3, 101 tri-ethnic, low-income 1-3 year old children and their mothers were measured for height and weight and mothers completed demographics, psychosocial, and child dietary data. Multiple regression revealed that the modifiable factors of mother’s weight and child’s inactivity and lower % of energy from carbohydrate, and the non-modifiable factors of family history of diabetes and child’s age were related to greater child weight-for-height. These factors explained 29% of the variance in weight-for-height. In study 4, the relationship of nutrition knowledge to weight loss in 141 low-income, tri-ethnic mothers of children 8-months to 12-years was examined. The intervention improved the nutrition knowledge of mothers in all areas of interest. Participants who achieved successful weight loss (≥ 5 pounds) had greater nutrition knowledge on both pre- and at post-tests than those who did not lose weight. Responders appeared more cognizant of information about diet, health, and weight loss.Item The role of attachment in the relationship between maternal and childhood depressive symptomatology: the test of a mediational model(2004) Bennett, Laura Sheffield; Carlson, Cindy I.; Hazen, Nancy Lynn.Item The role of parental attachment and limit-setting on toddler behavior : separate and combined influences of mothers and fathers(2008-12) Higgins, Kristina Nicole, 1981-; Hazen, Nancy LynnMuch research has been done in the area of toddler compliance/defiance and emotion regulation from a socialization perspective, and although some of this research has used attachment theory as a theoretical basis, there is little empirical literature that measures both attachment in infancy and parental limit-setting in toddlerhood as predictors of toddler compliance, emotionally negative defiance, or emotion regulation. In addition, few studies include fathers’ attachment and limit-setting along with mothers, or examine the different combinations of parenting units’ influence on toddler behavior. The goals of the current study are to assess how infant-parent attachment and parental limit-setting with mothers and fathers separately predict toddler behavior both with the same parent and with the other parent, and how different combinations of parental units, including mother-infant and father-infant attachment and maternal and paternal limit setting, relate to toddler behavior. This study uses longitudinal data, with the infantparent attachment relationships assessed using the Strange Situation at 12 and 15 months, and at 24-months the toddlers were brought into the lab and videotaped in a 20-minute play session, clean-up, and two teaching tasks with each parent. The parents were rated individually on their use of developmentally appropriate, permissive, and harsh/controlling parenting styles, and the toddlers were rated on compliance and emotionally negative defiance; the toddlers were also rated on emotion regulation in a separate task with an experimenter. Using OLS regression analyses, this study found parental limit-setting to be a stronger predictor of toddler behavior than attachment, and toddler behavior can only be predicted in the interaction with the same parent--maternal limit-setting does not predict toddler behavior with father or vice versa. Combinations of parent-infant attachment classifications were then assessed using ANOVAs, and different combinations of infant-parent attachment were related to toddlers’ emotion regulation. Hierarchical clustering techniques were implemented to determine how to create parenting units based on the different parenting styles, and four distinct clusters emerged: both parents developmentally appropriate, both parents are harsh/controlling and permissive, mother is appropriate and father is permissive, mother is permissive and father is appropriate. ANOVAs were then used to relate these clusters to the toddler behaviors.Item The impact of diagnostic, evaluative, and consultative services on the attitudes and anxieties of mothers of exceptional children.(Texas Tech University, 1975-05) Tidwell, Thomas GlenNot availableItem The prediction of attachment of adolescent mothers and their infants from prenatal to postnatal measures(Texas Tech University, 1979-08) Shadwick, Sandra ClaireNot available