Early childhood predictors of global competence in adolescence for youth with typical development or intellectual disability.
Harsh parenting when kids are four predicts weaker teen life skills for both typical kids and those with ID.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Researchers tracked kids from preschool to high school. Half had intellectual disability. Half were typically developing.
They measured moms' mood, parenting style, and kids' emotion skills at age 4. They checked teen life skills at age 16.
What they found
Mean parenting at age 4 predicted lower teen competence for both groups. Moms who often yelled or ignored had teens with weaker daily living and social skills.
Mom depression and child emotion outbursts mattered too, but only for the ID group.
How this fits with other research
Vassos et al. (2016) saw the same link earlier. Their cross-sectional study showed harsh parenting raised anxiety in preschoolers with ID. T et al. now prove the effect lasts into adolescence.
Plant et al. (2007) found child behavior predicted mom depression. T et al. flip the arrow: early mom depression forecasts later child competence. Together they show a two-way street.
Lecavalier et al. (2006) found family stress predicted later mental health problems in ID. T et al. extend that work by showing mom depression specifically shapes life skills, not just mood disorders.
Why it matters
Parent coaching should start early and include all families, not just those with diagnosed kids. A brief mood check at intake can flag moms who may need extra support. Adding simple emotion-regulation games for both parent and child could pay off for twelve years.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS: We aimed to determine whether a second-order global competence latent factor could be identified as underlying relations between adolescent mental health, social skills, and academic functioning. A secondary aim was to test whether early childhood characteristics predict adolescent global competence. A final aim was to test differences in these models across youth with typical cognitive development (TD) or intellectual disability (ID). METHODS AND PROCEDURES: Participants were 246 youth with TD (n = 148) or ID (n = 98), with assessments from early childhood (3, 4, 5 years) and adolescence (13, 15). These youths' parents and teachers provided measures. A Multiple Indicator, Multiple Causes (MIMIC) model was tested using structural equation modeling, in which parenting, maternal depression, and emotional dysregulation in early childhood were entered as predictors of adolescent global competence. OUTCOMES AND RESULTS: A second-order global competence factor emerged, and was predicted by early childhood variables. The final MIMIC model demonstrated excellent fit. Negative parenting in early childhood predicted lower adolescent global competence for both TD and ID youth. Maternal depression predicted adolescent global competence only for youth with ID, while emotion dysregulation predicted only for youth with TD. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Results have implications for longitudinal mechanisms of influence and early intervention targets for specific populations.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2019 · doi:10.1111/j.1532-7078.2011.00099.x