Strengthening social support has been recognized as a potentially effective strategy to enhance parenting self-efficacy, but empirical evidence is limited. This study examined the association... Show moreStrengthening social support has been recognized as a potentially effective strategy to enhance parenting self-efficacy, but empirical evidence is limited. This study examined the association between perceived social support and parenting self-efficacy.Data of 647 parents of children aged 0–8 years, gathered in the CIKEO cohort study in the Netherlands, were analysed. Data were collected between October 2017 and December 2019. Multivariable linear regression models were used to examine the association between social support and parenting self-efficacy. The mean age of the participants was 33.8 years (SD = 4.9); 94.9% mothers. At the start of the study, 15.1% parents perceived low to moderate social support. Parents who experienced lower levels of social support at the start of the study reported lower parenting self-efficacy at follow-up (β: 0.13; 95% CI: 0.05, 0.21), independent of potential socio-demographic confounders. Experiencing an increase in perceived social support during the study period was associated with an increase in parenting self-efficacy (β: 0.15; 95% CI: 0.10, 0.21).Our findings indicate perceived social support is associated with parenting self-efficacy among parents of children aged 0–8 years. Future longitudinal studies need to confirm our findings and may examine which social support interventions are effective in strengthening parenting self-efficacy. Show less
Wieringen L. van; Weggemans D.J.; Liem M.C.A. 2022
With the recent rise and fall of IS, academics and policy makers around the world are expressing concerns about the fate of children of former foreign fighters. Will they follow in their parents’... Show moreWith the recent rise and fall of IS, academics and policy makers around the world are expressing concerns about the fate of children of former foreign fighters. Will they follow in their parents’ footsteps? In this paper, we argue that in light of this discussion, the intergenerational transmission of extreme beliefs deserves a research agenda of its own. The transmission of extreme ideologies, such as extremism and cultism, constitutes a unique topic, not previously captured in traditional transmission studies. The concepts commonly used in popular media, such as ‘brainwashing’ and ‘indoctrination’, similarly fall short when trying to understand this phenomenon. Instead, a multidisciplinary approach centered around the concept intergenerational transmission is proposed. We present some of our preliminary literature findings on this topic, and consider their relation to broader theoretical frameworks. We conclude with several considerations and suggestions for future research, to better understand the intergenerational transmission of extreme ideologies in all its complexity. Show less
The overarching goal of this dissertation was to investigate parenting processes in relation to affective well-being in families in the daily flow of life from different perspectives (i.e.,... Show moreThe overarching goal of this dissertation was to investigate parenting processes in relation to affective well-being in families in the daily flow of life from different perspectives (i.e., adolescent, mother, father), on different levels (i.e., objective, momentary, and daily), and in a clinical sample (families with an adolescent with a depression) in addition to community samples. Our findings underline the importance of daily parental warmth and criticism of mothers and fathers for adolescents’ well-being. In addition, we showed that adolescents, parents, and their perceptions of parenting influence each other and that becoming more attuned to each other’s intention and needs is essential. Importantly, we consistently demonstrated that not only the extent and direction of the dynamic processes between parenting and affect in daily life differs between, but also within persons and families. This stresses the need for research focusing on individual processes and combining quantitative with qualitative measures. The use of more idiographic approaches would not only enable gaining more insight into these differences between individuals, but also contribute to identifying parenting practices that work for almost all adolescents. This would facilitate the development of interventions combining universal parenting principles with suggestions for tailoring it to individual- or family-specific situations. Show less
This dissertation describes the findings of six studies on mental health problems in the family context, specifically focusing on the associations with the parent-child relationship, parenting... Show moreThis dissertation describes the findings of six studies on mental health problems in the family context, specifically focusing on the associations with the parent-child relationship, parenting behaviors and experiences of childhood maltreatment. The aim is to better understand the risk factors, development and transmission of common psychological problems in order to contribute to prevention and treatment strategies for common psychological problems such as anxiety and depression.Overall, the findings underline the importance of the family context in the development and levels of mental health problems. In addition to the impact of one's own negative parenting experiences, including lack of warmth and experiences of emotional or physical abuse, negative parenting experiences of one's siblings are also associated with elevated anxiety and depressive symptom levels.We also found that externalizing problems of fathers and children have a negative impact on the parent-child interactions. In addition, we found that children with behavioral problems during early adolescence experience harsher parental discipline, even three years later.In the current treatment guidelines for common mental disorders, most therapies focus on the individual. An (additional) systemic approach and considering past and present family relationships in therapy, can be of additional value. For example, supporting families with interventions to improve the parent-child relationship can be helpful in the short and long term. Moreover, (early) treatment of psychological and behavioral problems of the parent or child might be beneficial for all family members. Show less
Anxiety disorders are globally one of the most prevalent and disabling forms of psychopathology in adults and children. Having a parent with an anxiety disorder multiplies the risk of anxiety... Show moreAnxiety disorders are globally one of the most prevalent and disabling forms of psychopathology in adults and children. Having a parent with an anxiety disorder multiplies the risk of anxiety disorders in the ofspring, although the specifc mechanisms and processes that play a role in this intergenerational transmission remain largely unknown. According to information processing theories, threat-related biases in cognitive processing are a causal mechanism in the development and maintenance of anxiety. These theories propose that individuals with anxiety are more likely to cognitively process novel stimuli in their environment as threatening. Creswell and colleagues proposed a theoretical model that highlighted the role of these cognitive biases as a mechanism in the intergenerational transmission of anxiety (Creswell et al., in Hadwin, Field (eds) Information processing biases and anxiety: a developmental perspective, Wiley, pp 279–295, 2010). This model postulated signifcant associations between (1) parents’ and children’s threat-related cognitive biases (2) parents’ threatrelated cognitive biases in their own and their child’s environment, (3) parents’ threat-related cognitive biases and parenting behaviors that convey anxiety risk to the ofspring (e.g., modeling of fear, and verbal threat information transmission), and (4) parenting behaviors and child threat-related biases. This theoretical review collated the recent empirical work testing these four core hypotheses of the model. Building on the reviewed empirical work, an updated conceptual model focusing on threat-related attention and interpretation is proposed. This updated model incorporates the links between cognition and anxiety in parents and children and addresses the potential bidirectional nature of parent–child infuences. Show less
The aim of this dissertation was to provide insight in interethnic prejudice of children in the Netherlands and attitudes and ideologies that they are exposed to through two socialization agents:... Show moreThe aim of this dissertation was to provide insight in interethnic prejudice of children in the Netherlands and attitudes and ideologies that they are exposed to through two socialization agents: parents and children’s books. Specifically attitudes and ideologies based on intergroup contact theories and diversity ideologies were of interest. This dissertation is a first step in examining the basis for applying prejudice-reducing theories based on social learning theory to the specific multi-ethnic Dutch context. Overall, results show that interethnic prejudice is found in various forms among young children in the Netherlands. Furthermore, intergroup contact approaches to improve children’s interethnic attitudes may face some obstacles, as results show that parents might be more or less willing to facilitate interethnic contact with different ethnic groups, intergroup contact effects are not always found, and ethnic diversity and thus indirect contact opportunities in popular books for children are somewhat limited. Furthermore, results show that multiculturalist rather than colorblind diversity approaches can benefit interethnic attitudes of children in dominant ethnic groups, but that the latter are prevailing in popular children’s books. This dissertation can help move both research and the development of practical programs on improving interethnic attitudes among children in the Netherlands forward. Show less
Self-regulation refers to the ability to deliberately control one’s affect and behavior to meet certain standards such as customs, norms and social expectations, and to pursue long-term goals (Kopp... Show moreSelf-regulation refers to the ability to deliberately control one’s affect and behavior to meet certain standards such as customs, norms and social expectations, and to pursue long-term goals (Kopp, 1982). Problems with self-regulation can result in significant personal as well as social problems such as substance addiction (e.g., drugs, alcohol and cigarettes), health problems (e.g., obesity and eating disorders), violence and crime (e.g., Baumeister et al., 2015; Hirschi, 2004; Johnson et al., 2012). Self-regulation emerges in early infancy and increases dramatically in later infancy and toddlerhood. This process has been described as the development from external regulation depending on caregivers to independent self-regulation (Calkins, 2002). During this transition, both infant factors (e.g., infant attention) and social factors (e.g., parental behaviors) contribute to the development of self-regulation (e.g., Bernier et al., 2010; Miyake et al., 2000). As mother-infant and father-infant relationships provide different experiences for infants, the parental impact on self-regulation may also differ between mothers and fathers (e.g., Braungart‐Rieker et al., 1998; Feldman et al., 2003). Yet, most parenting and infant research has focused on mothers, whereas fathers – and other family members with a caregiving role – are rarely investigated. Moreover, empirical studies of parenting and infant development have largely been restricted to North America and Western Europe (e.g., Bornstein, 2015; Tomlinson et al., 2014). As some evidence shows that the association between parental behaviors and the process of infant development is dependent on country and the associated cultural context (e.g., Deater- Deckard et al., 2011; Landford et al., 2016), it is also important to carry out research in non-Western countries to understand the generalizability of theories built in Western contexts and primarily rooted in Western tradition to non-Western populations. China—a non-Western country—has the world’s largest population, with traditions of multigenerational co-residence (including grandparents). However, few empirical studies have focused on grandparenting, parenting and child development. The current dissertation longitudinally investigated the parental role in infant self-regulation during the first two years of life in the Netherlands and China, and also specifically focused on the role of grandparents in China. Show less
Emotional mimicry, the tendency to automatically and spontaneously reproduce others’ facial expressions, characterizes human social interactions from infancy onwards. Yet, little is known about the... Show moreEmotional mimicry, the tendency to automatically and spontaneously reproduce others’ facial expressions, characterizes human social interactions from infancy onwards. Yet, little is known about the factors modulating its development in the first year of life. This study investigated infant emotional mimicry and its association with parent emotional mimicry, parent-infant mutual attention, and parent dispositional affective empathy. One hundred and seventeen parent-infant dyads (51 six-month-olds, 66 twelve-month-olds) were observed during video presentation of strangers’ happy, sad, angry, and fearful faces. Infant and parent emotional mimicry (i.e., facial expressions valence-congruent to the video) and their mutual attention (i.e., simultaneous gaze at one another) were systematically coded second-by-second. Parent empathy was assessed via self-report. Path models indicated that infant mimicry of happy stimuli was positively and independently associated with parent mimicry and affective empathy, while infant mimicry of sad stimuli was related to longer parent-infant mutual attention. Findings provide new insights into infants’ and parents’ coordination of mimicry and attention during triadic contexts of interactions, endorsing the social-affiliative function of mimicry already present in infancy: emotional mimicry occurs as an automatic parent-infant shared behavior and early manifestation of empathy only when strangers’ emotional displays are positive, and thus perceived as affiliative. Show less
Foster and adoptive parents often face challenges while taking care of children who, due to their adverse early life experiences, are at risk of developing insecure attachment relationships,... Show moreFoster and adoptive parents often face challenges while taking care of children who, due to their adverse early life experiences, are at risk of developing insecure attachment relationships, behavior problems, and stress dysregulation. Several intervention programs have been developed to help foster and adoptive parents to overcome these challenges. In the current study, a series of eight meta-analyses were performed to examine the effectiveness of these intervention programs on four parent outcomes (sensitive parenting, k = 11, N = 684; dysfunctional discipline, k = 4, N = 239; parenting knowledge and attitudes, k = 7, N = 535; parenting stress, k = 18, N = 1,306), three child outcomes (attachment security, k = 6, N = 395; behavior problems, k = 33, N = 2,661; diurnal cortisol levels, k = 3, N = 261), and placement disruption (k = 7, N = 1,100). Results show positive effects for the four parent outcomes and child behavior problems, but not for attachment security, child diurnal cortisol levels, or placement disruption. Indirect effects on child outcomes may be delayed, and therefore long-term follow-up studies are needed to examine the effects of parenting interventions on children. Show less
The aim of this thesis is to increase our knowledge of individual differences in the neural processing and appraisal of children’s faces that differ in their degree of resemblance with the... Show moreThe aim of this thesis is to increase our knowledge of individual differences in the neural processing and appraisal of children’s faces that differ in their degree of resemblance with the participant’s face. Chapter 2 focuses on participants’ neural responses to child faces that differ in their degree of resemblance with the participant’s face, both in neutral and threatening contexts. Moderating effects of love withdrawal and empathy are examined to explore associations between participants’ experiences with love withdrawal, their levels of empathy and their neural processing of facial resemblance. In Chapter 3, we examine how participants’ evaluations of the different child faces on a range of negative and positive criteria are affected by children’s degree of resemblance with the participant’s face. In addition, we explore how experiences of love withdrawal and FFA activity moderate participants’ appraisal of these child faces. Chapter 4 focuses on the test-retest reliability of the fMRI data acquired during the face processing paradigm we used to examine the effects of facial resemblance on participants’ brain activity. Show less
To thrive as an individual and within society, children need to master the ability to control their behavior and adapt it to social rules and standards. They also need to acquire the social... Show moreTo thrive as an individual and within society, children need to master the ability to control their behavior and adapt it to social rules and standards. They also need to acquire the social competence to interact and communicate with others. Studies showing the relevance of behavioral control and social competence for children’s future development give rise to the search for factors that are associated with these competencies. These factors can be characteristics of the child, factors within the child’s social environment, and factors within the physical and socioeconomic environment. In the current thesis we aimed to identify some of these factors associated with the development of behavioral control in early childhood, and with prosocial behavior in early to mid-adolescence. We assessed four types of behavioral control: parent-reported effortful control, observed cheating behavior, delay of gratification, and response inhibition. For prosocial behavior, one type was assessed: observed compensating behavior towards an excluded peer. The results show that there is quite some variation in children’s level of behavioral control as well as in adolescents’ level of prosocial behavior and that these levels can be related to child characteristics, factors in their social environment, physical, and socioeconomic environment in a meaningful way. Show less
1887/29813 Sensitivity is defined as a mother's ability to perceive child signals, to interpret these signals correctly, and to respond to them promptly and appropriately (Ainsworth, Bell, &... Show more1887/29813 Sensitivity is defined as a mother's ability to perceive child signals, to interpret these signals correctly, and to respond to them promptly and appropriately (Ainsworth, Bell, & Stayton, 1974) The overall aim of this dissertation is to examine beliefs about sensitive parenting and actual sensitive behaviors in Turkish ethnic minority families and factors that are related to sensitive parenting in those families. The results in Chapter 2 show that sensitivity beliefs are highly similar across and within ethnic groups of mothers and youth care professionals in the Netherlands and Turkey. In Chapter 3, the results show that sensitivity beliefs and sensitive parenting behaviors were unrelated in Dutch and Turkish-Dutch mothers. The findings presented in Chapter 4 show that ethnic identity and socialization, and religious identity and socialization are not related to sensitive parenting behaviors of Turkish-Dutch mothers. More positive attitudes toward Islamic socialization were related to lower observed maternal sensitivity. The results presented in this thesis suggest that early childhood parenting interventions focused on enhancing sensitivity might be successful in minority families. Parenting interventions could be helpful to narrow the gap between beliefs and behaviors. Parental religious orientations and belief systems should be investigated more systematically to be able to understand parenting and its effects on child development in ethnic minority families Show less
The development of self-regulation is one of the major challenges of a child’s healthy development. In the current thesis, the contribution and interplay of parental and biological factors in... Show moreThe development of self-regulation is one of the major challenges of a child’s healthy development. In the current thesis, the contribution and interplay of parental and biological factors in the development of self-regulation in preschoolers are studied in a large population-based cohort, the Generation R Study. We found that attachment insecurity in infancy was related to higher levels of toddler active resistance during Clean-Up. Maternal negative discipline was related to lower levels of committed compliance in toddlers, and the association between maternal positive discipline and child committed compliance was moderated by the child’s COMT rs4680 genotype, indicating that the association was stronger in children with the Met/Met variant than for children with other COMT genotypes. Maternal family-related stress during pregnancy predicted lower levels of toddler committed compliance through lower levels of maternal positive discipline. Maternal sensitivity was associated with lower levels of executive function problems and lower levels of internalizing problems in preschool age. In children with a relatively short corpus callosum in infancy, higher levels of maternal positive discipline predicted lower levels of inhibition problems. Our studies demonstrate the role of various aspects of positive parenting and mother-child relationship quality in preschool children’s regulation of emotions and behavior. Show less
Wat bepaalt de kwaliteit van gehechtheid? In een grootschalig onderzoek, Generation R, zijn de stresshuishouding en enkele kandidaatgenen van de kinderen onderzocht, en het gedrag van de ouder. De... Show moreWat bepaalt de kwaliteit van gehechtheid? In een grootschalig onderzoek, Generation R, zijn de stresshuishouding en enkele kandidaatgenen van de kinderen onderzocht, en het gedrag van de ouder. De gehechtheidsrelatie is de relatie tussen een kind en een ouder (of andere stabiele verzorger) die in het eerste levensjaar wordt opgebouwd. Veilig gehechte kinderen gebruiken hun ouder als veilige haven van waar ze de omgeving verkennen. Onveilig gehechte kinderen hebben hier moeite mee; zij kunnen niet de juiste balans vinden tussen contact met de ouder en het verkennen van de omgeving. Dit onderzoek laat zien dat onveilig gehechte kinderen heftiger op stress reageren dan veilig gehechte kinderen. Wanneer er sprake was van depressie in het leven van de moeder, leidt dit tot een verdere toename van stress bij de onveilig gehechte kinderen. Hetzelfde gold voor onveilig gehechte kinderen met een risico-gen dat verantwoordelijk is voor een minder goede stressregulatie. Verder vonden we dat sensitief opvoedgedrag van moeder leidde tot meer veilige gehechtheid, maar alleen wanneer het kind een bepaalde variant van een gen droeg dat van belang is bij het omgaan met stress. De resultaten laten de kwetsbaarheid en stressgevoeligheid van onveilig gehechte kinderen zien. Daarnaast kunnen we op basis van de huidige resultaten zeggen dat insensitief opvoedgedrag, depressie van moeder en genetische risico’s een rol spelen bij onveilige gehechtheid. De ontwikkeling van gehechtheid is complex, en het resultaat van het samenspel tussen biologische aspecten en de opvoedingsomgeving. Daarop moet toekomstig onderzoek dan ook gericht zijn. Show less
In dit proefschrift staat ouderschap in de vroege kindertijd centraal, onder andere de reacties van volwassenen op het huilen van baby’s. Voor baby’s is huilen één van de belangrijkste manieren om... Show moreIn dit proefschrift staat ouderschap in de vroege kindertijd centraal, onder andere de reacties van volwassenen op het huilen van baby’s. Voor baby’s is huilen één van de belangrijkste manieren om te communiceren. Zo laten ze weten dat ze ergens behoefte aan hebben of zich niet lekker voelen. Maar niet alle ouders reageren op een sensitieve, liefdevolle manier: voor sommige ouders is het huilen van hun kind zo stressvol dat ze eerder op een hardhandige wijze reageren. In deze studie is onderzocht hoe volwassenen reageren op het huilen van een baby. Daarbij werd een standaard huilfragment van een pasgeboren kind gemanipuleerd en op verschillende hoogten afgespeeld. De toonhoogte van het huilgeluid en de manier waarop volwassenen het huilen interpreteren, bleken belangrijk te zijn. Hoge huilgeluiden vormen een risicofactor voor het stevig willen aanpakken van het kind. Zieke en premature kinderen hebben vaker zulke hoge huiltonen. Ook is onderzocht of verschillen in reactie op huilen erfelijk zijn. Dat is inderdaad het geval, maar niet voor alle aspecten van reageren op huilen. Verschillen in sensitieve reacties waren erfelijk bepaald, maar de neiging om het kind op een hardhandige manier aan te pakken niet. Show less
Er is nog relatief weinig bekend over de opvoeding en de ontwikkeling van gedragsproblemen bij jonge kinderen in tweede-generatie Turkse gezinnen in Nederland. In deze studie werden ruim 150 tweede... Show moreEr is nog relatief weinig bekend over de opvoeding en de ontwikkeling van gedragsproblemen bij jonge kinderen in tweede-generatie Turkse gezinnen in Nederland. In deze studie werden ruim 150 tweede-generatie Turkse moeders met jonge kinderen thuis bezocht en werden zij gefilmd tijdens verschillende spelletjes en taakjes om het opvoedgedrag van moeders te observeren. Ook hebben ouders verschillende vragenlijsten ingevuld. Dezelfde informatie was beschikbaar voor een groep Nederlandse gezinnen met peuters. Tweede-generatie Nederlands-Turkse moeders bleken meer stress te hebben en minder steun van de partner te ervaren, minder sensitief te zijn ten opzichte van hun kinderen en minder vaak op een positieve manier grenzen te stellen dan Nederlandse moeders. Turkse peuters laten echter niet meer probleemgedrag zien dan Nederlandse peuters in gezinnen met een vergelijkbaar opleidingsniveau en evenveel kinder en. Ondanks groepsverschillen is de onderlinge samenhang tussen de opvoedingsgedragingen van moeders en de ontwikkeling van probleemgedrag bij peuters vergelijkbaar in beide groepen. Ten slotte is gebleken dat het behoud van de Turkse cultuur een positieve invloed heeft op het welbevinden van Turkse moeders. Op basis van deze resultaten wordt onder Nederlands-Turkse gezinnen de effectiviteit van een cultuur-gevoelige opvoedingsondersteuning onderzocht die gericht is op het bevorderen van ouderlijke sensitiviteit en positief grenzen stellen. Show less
The objective of the research described in this thesis was to study single and cumulative family risk in relation to early childhood externalizing problems and the effectiveness of a parenting... Show moreThe objective of the research described in this thesis was to study single and cumulative family risk in relation to early childhood externalizing problems and the effectiveness of a parenting intervention program. The Video-feedback Intervention to promote Positive Parenting and Sensitive Discipline (VIPP-SD) aimed at reducing externalizing problems in 1- to 3-year-old children by enhancing parental sensitivity and adequate discipline strategies. An evaluation of the process of this intervention was also conducted. The study consisted of a screening phase in a general population sample (N = 2408) and a randomized case-control intervention phase in a selected sub-sample of children with high levels of externalizing behaviors (n = 237). The results of this thesis showed that even at an early age, family risk predicted child externalizing behaviors. Cumulative risk longitudinally predicted externalizing behaviors, but was not related to the effectiveness of the intervention. Further, first-time parents (primiparas) profited differently from the intervention than parents with more than one child (multiparas). Finally, a positive alliance between mother and intervener predicted change in positive parenting strategies. Show less
Autisme en veilige gehechtheid Men heeft lang gedacht dat kinderen met autisme, door hun problemen in sociale interacties en communicatie, niet in staat zijn om een emotionele band te ontwikkelen... Show moreAutisme en veilige gehechtheid Men heeft lang gedacht dat kinderen met autisme, door hun problemen in sociale interacties en communicatie, niet in staat zijn om een emotionele band te ontwikkelen met hun ouders, met andere woorden zich te hechten aan hun ouders. Empirisch onderzoek heeft echter laten zien dat kinderen met autisme wel degelijk gehechtheidsgedrag laten zien (Buitelaar, 1995). Uit onze meta-analyse bleek dat kinderen met autisme wel minder vaak veilig gehecht zijn dan kinderen zonder autisme. Dat geldt echter alleen voor kinderen met strikt gedefinieerd autisme en kinderen met autisme en een verstandelijke beperking. Het observeren van gehechtheid in een natuurlijke situatie heeft verschillende voordelen. De Attachment Q-sort (AQS; Vaughn & Waters, 1990; Waters, 1995) is ontwikkeld voor thuisobservatie van gehechtheid bij 'normale' kinderen, maar gebruik ervan bij kinderen met autisme blijkt gerechtvaardigd op grond van een studie onder 59 experts. Uit de literatuur komt naar voren dat de opvoeding van kinderen met autisme een groot beroep doet op de ouders. In onze studie bleek echter dat ouders van kinderen met autisme goed lijken om te kunnen gaan met de uitdagingen die gepaard gaan met het opvoeden van hun kind met autisme. Show less
