TY - JOUR

T1 - Early regulatory problems and parenting

T2 - life-long risk, vulnerability or susceptibility for attention, internalizing and externalizing outcomes?

AU - Jaekel, Julia

AU - Sorg, Christian

AU - Breeman, Linda

AU - Baumann, Nicole

AU - Bilgin, Ayten

AU - Bäuml, Josef G.

AU - Wolke, Dieter

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2020, Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.

PY - 2021/10

Y1 - 2021/10

N2 - Multiple or persistent crying, sleeping, or feeding problems in early childhood (regulatory problems, RPs) predict increased risk for self-regulation difficulties. Sensitive parenting may protect children from trajectories of dysregulation. Considering self-regulation from a life-course perspective, are children with early multiple and/or persistent RPs affected similarly by parenting as those without (main effects model, ME), or are they more vulnerable (diathesis-stress, DIA-S), or more susceptible (differential susceptibility theory, DST) to variations in sensitive parenting at age 6 years? Participants (N = 302) were studied prospectively from birth to 28 years. RPs were assessed from 5 to 56 months. Sensitive parenting was observed at 6 years. Attention regulation was observed at 8 and 28 years. Internalizing and externalizing problems were rated by parents at 8 years, and by adults at 28 years. Confirmatory-comparative modelling tested whether associations of sensitive parenting with outcomes at 8 and 28 years among individuals with early multiple and/or persistent RPs (n = 74) versus those without (n = 228) were best explained by ME, DIA-S, or DST models. Best fitting models differed according to age at assessment. For childhood attention regulation, the statistically parsimonious DIA-S provided the best fit to the data. At age 28, two additive main effects (ME, RP group and sensitive parenting) fit best. DIA-S and ME explained internalizing and externalizing problems. Using a comprehensive life-span approach, DIA-S and ME models but not DST explained how early RPs and sensitive parenting predicted attention, internalizing, and externalizing outcomes. Individuals with early RPs are vulnerable to insensitive parenting.

AB - Multiple or persistent crying, sleeping, or feeding problems in early childhood (regulatory problems, RPs) predict increased risk for self-regulation difficulties. Sensitive parenting may protect children from trajectories of dysregulation. Considering self-regulation from a life-course perspective, are children with early multiple and/or persistent RPs affected similarly by parenting as those without (main effects model, ME), or are they more vulnerable (diathesis-stress, DIA-S), or more susceptible (differential susceptibility theory, DST) to variations in sensitive parenting at age 6 years? Participants (N = 302) were studied prospectively from birth to 28 years. RPs were assessed from 5 to 56 months. Sensitive parenting was observed at 6 years. Attention regulation was observed at 8 and 28 years. Internalizing and externalizing problems were rated by parents at 8 years, and by adults at 28 years. Confirmatory-comparative modelling tested whether associations of sensitive parenting with outcomes at 8 and 28 years among individuals with early multiple and/or persistent RPs (n = 74) versus those without (n = 228) were best explained by ME, DIA-S, or DST models. Best fitting models differed according to age at assessment. For childhood attention regulation, the statistically parsimonious DIA-S provided the best fit to the data. At age 28, two additive main effects (ME, RP group and sensitive parenting) fit best. DIA-S and ME explained internalizing and externalizing problems. Using a comprehensive life-span approach, DIA-S and ME models but not DST explained how early RPs and sensitive parenting predicted attention, internalizing, and externalizing outcomes. Individuals with early RPs are vulnerable to insensitive parenting.

KW - Attention regulation

KW - CBCL

KW - Confirmatory-comparative modelling

KW - Life-course

KW - Parenting

KW - Regulatory problems

KW - YASR

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85090315678&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1007/s00787-020-01632-2

DO - 10.1007/s00787-020-01632-2

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 32888096

AN - SCOPUS:85090315678

VL - 30

SP - 1523

EP - 1531

JO - European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Supplement

JF - European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Supplement

SN - 1433-5719

IS - 10

ER -