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Linking early head start children's social-emotional functioning with profiles of family functioning and stress
Alison Hooper1, Jason T Hustedt2, Gerilyn Slicker2
1Department of Curriculum and Instruction.
Abstract:
This study examined profiles of family functioning, stress, psychological well-being, and social support in families participating in early head start; family characteristics that relate to profile membership; and the relationship of profiles to child social-emotional functioning. Because families' levels of functioning and well-being vary widely within low-income samples, we used a person-centered approach to understand how variations among families are linked with children's social-emotional skills. Our latent profile analysis of a sample of 246 families identified three profiles of family functioning and well-being: low stress, high family functioning (63%); moderate family stress, low family functioning (25%); and high psychological distress and parenting stress (12%). Children's social-emotional functioning, both social competence and problem behavior, related to profile membership. Children in the low stress, high family functioning profile displayed the most optimal social-emotional skills. These results highlight the importance of supporting family functioning and decreasing family stress to influence young children's positive behaviors. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).
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