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Parent Response Type Affects Psychological Adjustment in Children
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by Laura A. Oramas, Melody A. Whiddon, and Marilyn J. Montgomery—Florida International University
Category: Psychotherapy | Developmental
This study examined the associations between parent responsiveness to children during a parent-child play task and children’s psychological adjustment in 24 Hispanic mother-child dyads. The Noldus Observer was used for systematic coding of parent-child behavioral interaction. The Semistructured Clinical Interview for Children and Adolescents (McConaughy & Achenbach, 2001) assessed child psychological adjustment. Correlational analyses revealed that greater maternal responsiveness was positively correlated with child psychological adjustment in this Hispanic population. The results of this study suggest implications for early areas of intervention as well as future research in the area of parental responsiveness, including specific parental behaviors and parent-child interactive qualities, which may have the potential to improve child psychological adjustment.