Creating an optimal start during the first 1,000 days of children is an important focus for researchers and policy makers. Parents can positively influence child development through sensitive... Show moreCreating an optimal start during the first 1,000 days of children is an important focus for researchers and policy makers. Parents can positively influence child development through sensitive parenting, which is the ability to understand and promptly and adequately respond to a child’s signals. This thesis provides insight in the development of sensitive parenting from infancy to toddlerhood in primiparous mothers and fathers through longitudinal data from the Netherlands, United Kingdom, and United States. The results demonstrate that fathers and mothers respond more sensitively to their baby in more ecologically valid contexts, i.e. during situations more representative of their daily reality, than in less ecologically valid contexts. Therefore, we recommend to take context into account when parenting skills are studied and evaluated. Next, we made a first step towards clarity on the way parents reflect on the parent-child relationship during the transition to parenthood and in relation to parental sensitivity. We found weak evidence for the theorized link between this reflection and parental sensitivity. Finally, we found that mothers and fathers are equally sensitive across the first two years, and sensitivity levels during this period increase in both parents, indicating that mothers and fathers actually do become better in sensitive parenting. Show less
Because aggressive behavior during early childhood has been related to negative developmental outcomes, a further understanding of the underlying mechanisms of aggression during the first years of... Show moreBecause aggressive behavior during early childhood has been related to negative developmental outcomes, a further understanding of the underlying mechanisms of aggression during the first years of life is essential. Although the factors prenatal risk, parenting behavior, temperament and cognitive functions have consistently been related to externalizing behavior during preschool and school age, research focusing on their interplay in relation to aggressive behavior earlier in life is scarce. The aim of the current dissertation was to gain more insight into these associations during infancy and toddlerhood. Our studies indicated that impairments in children’s early cognitive regulation abilities play a role in the development of aggressive behavior. It can also be concluded that both adverse pre- and postnatal environmental influences have an impact on child aggression: higher prenatal risk and adverse parenting behavior were directly or indirectly (via poor cognitive functioning) related to higher levels of aggression. In addition, it was found that poor cognitive skills increased the risk of aggression in case of high prenatal risk or a highly reactive temperament during early development. These results suggest that early intervention programs to prevent aggression should focus on prenatal risk, parenting behavior and cognitive development during the first years of life. Show less
Research on precursors of empathy, and on the association between empathy and aggression in early childhood is scarce and contradictory. It is likely that these contradictory results can be... Show moreResearch on precursors of empathy, and on the association between empathy and aggression in early childhood is scarce and contradictory. It is likely that these contradictory results can be explained by taking into account other factors that are related to empathy and aggression. Therefore, our main aim was to study early manifestations of empathy as a predictor of aggression during the first years of life, while taking into account the role of precursors of empathy and possible moderators of the association between empathy and aggression. Early manifestations of empathy could be predicted from emotional responses in infancy, as infants who were more emotionally reactive themselves were also more sensitive to emotions of others during toddlerhood. In addition, impaired empathy already was a risk factor of aggression from the age of 20 months. High levels of aggression were associated with low levels of affective empathy, but not cognitive empathy. The negative association between empathy and aggression was stronger for girls, children with high levels of inhibition, and children with low levels of social attention. It is important to take these factors into account in further research and intervention programs that target empathy and its association with aggression in early childhood. Show less
