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 #59 The Mediating Role of Parental Support in the Association Between Infant Motor Skills and Socio-Emotional Development Patricia Lasutschinkow, Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, United States Michelle Lobermeier, Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, United States Jin Bo, Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, United States Seth Warschausky, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, United States Alissa Huth-Bocks, Wayne State University, Detroit, United States Renée Lajiness-O'Neill, Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, United States Category: Emotional and Social Processes Keyword 1: motor function Keyword 2: social cognition Keyword 3: prematurity Objective: Research has shown a strong association between motor competence and social competence in school-aged children (Skinner & Piek, 2001). While this relationship is mediated by social support from peers and parents in middle childhood, it is unclear whether the same associations are observable in infancy-toddlerhood (Cairney et al., 2013). This study examined associations between motor abilities, socio-emotional development, and parent-child relationship quality at 12 months age. We hypothesized a positive relationship between social and motor competence and hypothesized that parent-child interaction quality would mediate this association, such that better motor abilities would be related to less dysfunctional interactions, which would in turn be related to better social competence. Further, we aimed to investigate differences in these relationships between infants-toddlers born term or preterm. Participants and Methods: The sample included 431 term and preterm caregiver/infant dyads from the PediaTrac^TM project, a longitudinal, multi-site study aimed at developing a web-based caregiver-report tool to track infant/toddler developmental status (Lajiness-O’Neill et al., 2021). Measures included parent-child dysfunctional interactions subscale (PCDI) from the Parenting Stress Index, 4^th Edition, Short Form, caregiver-reported motor development scale (MOT; PediaTrac^TM), and social competence subscale (Brief Infant Toddler Social Emotional Assessment [BITSEA]), all measured at 12 months of age. Pearson correlational analyses were performed to evaluate relationships between variables. Mediation analyses examined whether PDI mediated the association between motor and social competence. Results: MOT was significantly, positively correlated with BITSEA competence, (r = 0.42, p < 0.01). PCDI was significantly inversely correlated with MOT (r = -0.21, p < 0.01) and social competence (r = -0.24, p < 0.01). Similar patterns were present across term status, including significant associations between MOT and social competence (Term : r = 0.38; Preterm: r = 0.43) and inverse relations between PCDI and MOT (Term: r = -0.23, p < 0.01; Preterm: r = -0.17, p < 0.05). The effect of motor abilities on social competence was significantly mediated by PCDI, (b_indirect= 0.184, CI_95%= 0.048 to 0.385). While the association between PCDI and social competence was significant in the term group (r = -0.31, p < 0.01), no such association was seen in the preterm group (r = -0.12, p > 0.05). The effect of motor abilities on social competence was significantly mediated by PCDI in term children, but not preterm children (b_indirect= 0.294, CI_95%= 0.083 to 0.579; b_indirect= 0.050, CI_95%= -0.112 to 0.334). Conclusions: This study examined early associations between motor abilities, social competence, and parent-child interaction quality. Similar to studies in older children, this study found that parent-child relations significantly mediated the association between motor abilities and socio-emotional competence in infants. Interestingly, while the mediation was significant in the pooled sample, further analysis stratified by term group demonstrated that the mediation was only significant for caregiver term-infant dyads. The lack of mediation among pre-term dyads may be due to more variable delays in development but further research is needed to investigate other factors that may better explain the relationship between motor abilities and social-competence in pre-term infant-toddlers.

Poster

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

Poster Session 10: Neurodevelopmental | Congenital Conditions

Final Abstract #59

The Mediating Role of Parental Support in the Association Between Infant Motor Skills and Socio-Emotional Development

Patricia Lasutschinkow, Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, United States
Michelle Lobermeier, Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, United States
Jin Bo, Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, United States
Seth Warschausky, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, United States
Alissa Huth-Bocks, Wayne State University, Detroit, United States
Renée Lajiness-O'Neill, Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, United States

Category: Emotional and Social Processes

Keyword 1: motor function
Keyword 2: social cognition
Keyword 3: prematurity

Objective:

Research has shown a strong association between motor competence and social competence in school-aged children (Skinner & Piek, 2001). While this relationship is mediated by social support from peers and parents in middle childhood, it is unclear whether the same associations are observable in infancy-toddlerhood (Cairney et al., 2013). This study examined associations between motor abilities, socio-emotional development, and parent-child relationship quality at 12 months age. We hypothesized a positive relationship between social and motor competence and hypothesized that parent-child interaction quality would mediate this association, such that better motor abilities would be related to less dysfunctional interactions, which would in turn be related to better social competence. Further, we aimed to investigate differences in these relationships between infants-toddlers born term or preterm.

Participants and Methods:

The sample included 431 term and preterm caregiver/infant dyads from the PediaTrac^TM project, a longitudinal, multi-site study aimed at developing a web-based caregiver-report tool to track infant/toddler developmental status (Lajiness-O’Neill et al., 2021). Measures included parent-child dysfunctional interactions subscale (PCDI) from the Parenting Stress Index, 4^th Edition, Short Form, caregiver-reported motor development scale (MOT; PediaTrac^TM), and social competence subscale (Brief Infant Toddler Social Emotional Assessment [BITSEA]), all measured at 12 months of age. Pearson correlational analyses were performed to evaluate relationships between variables. Mediation analyses examined whether PDI mediated the association between motor and social competence.

Results:

MOT was significantly, positively correlated with BITSEA competence, (r = 0.42, p < 0.01). PCDI was significantly inversely correlated with MOT (r = -0.21, p < 0.01) and social competence (r = -0.24, p < 0.01). Similar patterns were present across term status, including significant associations between MOT and social competence (Term : r = 0.38; Preterm: r = 0.43) and inverse relations between PCDI and MOT (Term: r = -0.23, p < 0.01; Preterm: r = -0.17, p < 0.05). The effect of motor abilities on social competence was significantly mediated by PCDI, (b_indirect= 0.184, CI_95%= 0.048 to 0.385). While the association between PCDI and social competence was significant in the term group (r = -0.31, p < 0.01), no such association was seen in the preterm group (r = -0.12, p > 0.05). The effect of motor abilities on social competence was significantly mediated by PCDI in term children, but not preterm children (b_indirect= 0.294, CI_95%= 0.083 to 0.579; b_indirect= 0.050, CI_95%= -0.112 to 0.334).

Conclusions:

This study examined early associations between motor abilities, social competence, and parent-child interaction quality. Similar to studies in older children, this study found that parent-child relations significantly mediated the association between motor abilities and socio-emotional competence in infants. Interestingly, while the mediation was significant in the pooled sample, further analysis stratified by term group demonstrated that the mediation was only significant for caregiver term-infant dyads. The lack of mediation among pre-term dyads may be due to more variable delays in development but further research is needed to investigate other factors that may better explain the relationship between motor abilities and social-competence in pre-term infant-toddlers.