Associations between early mother-child separation and indicators of early household instability were mixed. Mothers who experienced a separation from their child were more likely to have had an additional birth by 15 months post-enrollment than mothers who did not experience an early separation (19% versus 14%, p < .05). Mothers with an early separation were also less likely to implement regular sleep routines for their children (95% vs. 97%, p < .05). Finally, there was a trend for mothers who experienced a separation from their child to be more likely to have had a change in marital status (11% versus 7%, p < .10). However, there were no differences between mothers who experienced a separation and those who did not in terms of changes in cohabitation status, or in utilizing multiple caregiving arrangements.
Desk 2 presents bivariate correlations among mother-child separation in the first 2 years of life, parenting behaviors at child age 3, and child outcomes at ages 3 and 5. Early mother-child separation was not associated with later parenting behaviors, but was related to child negativity (r =.06, p < .05) and aggression (r = .06, p < .05) at age 3, and to child aggression at age 5 (r = .06, p < .05). Separation was not associated with receptive vocabulary at either age 3 or 5. Correlations among maternal parenting behaviors at age 3 were small to moderate (|r|s of .12 to .44, p's < .001). Correlations among child outcomes ranged from small to large (|r|s of .01 to.60, p's < .01).
Table 2
Note: Since the sign out-of very early breakup are dichotomous, its correlations along with child-rearing behaviors and you will son outcomes, which can be continuously counted, are area-biserial correlations, whereas others in the desk was Pearson correlations. All is translated likewise.
Multivariate Associations between Early Mommy-Kid Break up and soon after Parenting Behaviors and you can Child Consequences
Building toward findings of your bivariate analyses, several regression patterns is actually examined to examine the new character regarding very early breakup when you look at the anticipating afterwards maternal child-rearing routines and son effects. Very first, very early break up was applied in order to predict the three maternal parenting habits mentioned within child ages 3. Next, early breakup was utilized to expect the 3 kid consequences measured within son age step 3 and you will 5. History, an effective mediation design was looked at based on the results from the fresh new earlier two habits. All of the activities integrated maternal decades, battle, education, earnings, lifestyle agreements, parity, man intercourse, program reputation, in addition to four evidence regarding family instability since the controls. All the numerous regression designs had been looked at playing with Mplus software (Muthen & Muthen, 2001) and you may taken into WEBLINK account lost data that have complete guidance maximum probability (FIML) quote, causing a frequent take to proportions (N = dos,080) around the every analyses.
Table 3 presents the results of the first step in our analysis, in which maternal detachment, sensitivity, and warmth at child age 3 were regressed on early separation. None of these parenting behaviors was associated with early separation. Tables 4 and ? and5 5 present results of subsequent analyses, in which children’s aggression, negativity toward parent, and receptive vocabulary at ages 3 and 5 were regressed on early separation. Consistent with bivariate analyses, there were significant associations between early ;s aggressive behaviors at age 3 (?= .06, p < .05) and age 5 (?= .05, p < .05). Children who experienced a separation from their mother within the first two years of life exhibited significantly higher levels of aggressive behaviors at ages 3 and 5 than children who had not experienced an early separation. Additionally, early separation was related to child negativity at age 3 (?= .05, p < .05), but not at age 5. Children who experienced an early separation were observed to be more negative toward their mothers during play at age 3, but this effect was no longer evident by age 5. Children's receptive vocabulary at age 3 or age 5 was not associated with having experienced an early separation.