Routines as a Protective Factor for Emerging Mental Health and Behavioral Problems in Children with

Kathryn Hatherly1, Shaelyn Stienwandt2, Marlee R Salisbury3

  • 1School of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Western Ontario, 1201 Western Road, London, ONCA N6A 3K7, USA.

Insights

Establishing regular family routines can decrease externalizing behaviors in children with neurodevelopmental delays, particularly those with average or higher nonverbal skills, thus reducing parental stress.

Area of Science:

  • Child Psychology
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Behavioral Science

Background:

  • Children with neurodevelopmental delays often exhibit externalizing behaviors, increasing parental stress.
  • Family routines are hypothesized to mitigate these behavioral issues and parental stress.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate if family routine frequency moderates externalizing behaviors and parental stress in children with neurodevelopmental delays.
  • To examine these effects longitudinally, considering children's cognitive abilities.

Main Methods:

  • Longitudinal study with 202 children (28-72 months) with neurodevelopmental delays and their caregivers.
  • Assessments included cognitive ability (Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence-IV), behavior (Child Behavior Checklist), parental stress (Parent Daily Report), and family routines (Family Routines Inventory).

Main Results:

  • Higher frequency of family routines correlated with fewer externalizing behaviors at baseline and longitudinally.
  • Family routines moderated parental stress, especially for children with average or above-average nonverbal skills.
  • The positive impact of routines on behavior was significant for children with average or higher nonverbal skills.

Conclusions:

  • Family routines can reduce parental stress and externalizing behaviors in children with neurodevelopmental delays.
  • The effectiveness of routines is more pronounced in children with average to higher nonverbal skills.
  • Routines alone may be less effective for children with lower verbal skills, suggesting a need for tailored interventions.
Abstract

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