INS NYC 2024 Program

Poster	Poster Session 10 Program Schedule 02/17/2024 09:00 am - 10:15 am Room: Shubert Complex (Posters 1-60) Poster Session 10: Neurodevelopmental \| Congenital Conditions Final Abstract #52 The Development of Child Executive Functioning: The Interacting Roles of Maternal Education, Household Chaos, and Parenting Behaviors Ellyn Kennelly, Wayne State University, Detroit, United States Christina Lee, Wayne State University, Detroit, United States Alexis Taylor, Wayne State University, Detroit, United States Moriah Thomason, New York University, New York, United States Christopher Trentacosta, Wayne State University, Detroit, United States Category: Executive Functions/Frontal Lobes Keyword 1: executive functions Objective: Maternal education and household chaos are important influences on children's developing executive functioning (EF). Potential protective factors such as positive and consistent parenting should be further explored among families living in under-resourced communities in order to better understand factors that might mitigate links between risks within the family context and children’s later executive functioning. We predicted that maternal education and household chaos at age 3 would each be uniquely associated with young children’s EF at age 5 within a sample of families from an under-resourced urban community. We also hypothesized that positive parenting at age 3 would decrease the strength of the expected negative association between household chaos at age 3 and child EF at age 5, and increase the strength of the anticipated positive association between maternal education at age 3 and later child EF. Additionally, we hypothesized that inconsistent parenting at age 3 would decrease the expected positive association between maternal education and EF at age 5, and alter the strength of the anticipated negative association between household chaos at age 3 and later EF skills. Participants and Methods: Participants were 84 mother-infant dyads from a more extensive longitudinal study initiated in Detroit, Michigan. The majority of the participants were African American/Black, and the modal annual household income was less than $10,000. The Alabama Parenting Questionnaire-Preschool Revision (APQ-PR), which measures parenting behaviors including positive and inconsistent parenting, and the Confusion, Hubbub, and Order Scale (CHAOS) questionnaire, which measures household chaos and unpredictability, were completed by mothers when their children were three years old. Mothers also reported their education level when children were three years old on a scale of 1 (“<7th grade”) to 9 (“graduate degree”). The children completed an executive function battery at age 5 that measured inhibitory control (Silly Sounds Game), working memory (Houses), and attentional shifting (Something’s the Same Game) using tasks from the Family Life Project. An average of the child’s performance on the three EF tasks was used as a composite measure for the analyses. Covariates included child gender and child age. Results: A series of multiple regressions were conducted. In the multiple regressions, maternal education and child age were each positively associated with children’s EF. Household chaos and parenting were not directly associated with children’s EF. One significant moderation effect was found. More specifically, the interaction between household chaos and positive parenting was a significant predictor of the EF composite (β = -.25, p < .05). Conclusions: In summary, maternal education was a robust predictor of children’s EFs, which underscores the need for early prevention programs targeting under-resourced families to promote young children’s EF. Future research should continue to explore the interplay between the household context and aspects of the parent-child relationship in the development of EF across childhood in order to further refine and enhance prevention approaches.

Poster

02/17/2024
09:00 am - 10:15 am
Room: Shubert Complex (Posters 1-60)

Poster Session 10: Neurodevelopmental | Congenital Conditions

Final Abstract #52

The Development of Child Executive Functioning: The Interacting Roles of Maternal Education, Household Chaos, and Parenting Behaviors

Ellyn Kennelly, Wayne State University, Detroit, United States
Christina Lee, Wayne State University, Detroit, United States
Alexis Taylor, Wayne State University, Detroit, United States
Moriah Thomason, New York University, New York, United States
Christopher Trentacosta, Wayne State University, Detroit, United States

Category: Executive Functions/Frontal Lobes

Keyword 1: executive functions

Objective:

Maternal education and household chaos are important influences on children's developing executive functioning (EF). Potential protective factors such as positive and consistent parenting should be further explored among families living in under-resourced communities in order to better understand factors that might mitigate links between risks within the family context and children’s later executive functioning. We predicted that maternal education and household chaos at age 3 would each be uniquely associated with young children’s EF at age 5 within a sample of families from an under-resourced urban community. We also hypothesized that positive parenting at age 3 would decrease the strength of the expected negative association between household chaos at age 3 and child EF at age 5, and increase the strength of the anticipated positive association between maternal education at age 3 and later child EF. Additionally, we hypothesized that inconsistent parenting at age 3 would decrease the expected positive association between maternal education and EF at age 5, and alter the strength of the anticipated negative association between household chaos at age 3 and later EF skills.

Participants and Methods:

Participants were 84 mother-infant dyads from a more extensive longitudinal study initiated in Detroit, Michigan. The majority of the participants were African American/Black, and the modal annual household income was less than $10,000. The Alabama Parenting Questionnaire-Preschool Revision (APQ-PR), which measures parenting behaviors including positive and inconsistent parenting, and the Confusion, Hubbub, and Order Scale (CHAOS) questionnaire, which measures household chaos and unpredictability, were completed by mothers when their children were three years old. Mothers also reported their education level when children were three years old on a scale of 1 (“<7th grade”) to 9 (“graduate degree”). The children completed an executive function battery at age 5 that measured inhibitory control (Silly Sounds Game), working memory (Houses), and attentional shifting (Something’s the Same Game) using tasks from the Family Life Project. An average of the child’s performance on the three EF tasks was used as a composite measure for the analyses. Covariates included child gender and child age.

Results:

A series of multiple regressions were conducted. In the multiple regressions, maternal education and child age were each positively associated with children’s EF. Household chaos and parenting were not directly associated with children’s EF. One significant moderation effect was found. More specifically, the interaction between household chaos and positive parenting was a significant predictor of the EF composite (β = -.25, p < .05).

Conclusions:

In summary, maternal education was a robust predictor of children’s EFs, which underscores the need for early prevention programs targeting under-resourced families to promote young children’s EF. Future research should continue to explore the interplay between the household context and aspects of the parent-child relationship in the development of EF across childhood in order to further refine and enhance prevention approaches.