Department of Pediatrics, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA.
Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA.
BMC Psychol. 2023 Sep 1;11(1):257. doi: 10.1186/s40359-023-01288-y.
Early life stress and adversity conveys risk for emotional, behavioral, and developmental disorders. To address this risk in the preschool population, Mother-Child Emotional Preparation (MCEP) was tested as an in-school dyadic intervention for facilitating mother-child emotional connection through mother-child calming cycles. In a computer-generated block randomized controlled trial enrolling preschool-aged children and their mothers, in partnership with an early childhood learning center, we at Columbia University Irving Medical Center tested effects of MCEP across multiple domains. Within this RCT we designed a qualitative sub-study to understand how MCEP aligns with calming cycle theory and its impact on mothers and the mother-child relationship.
A qualitative researcher observed 14 group MCEP sessions consisting of nurture specialists facilitating reciprocal calming interactions through shared emotional expression between mothers and their preschool-aged children. We conducted two waves of participant interviews in English or Spanish, per participant preference. Participants (n = 8) were majority Hispanic at or below the federal poverty level. Group session observations were coded and analyzed for frequency, co-occurrence, variance by session, and alignment with calming cycle theory, incorporating demographic variables and attendance. Interview transcripts were translated from Spanish to English if needed, then coded and analyzed using thematic analysis.
Qualitative analysis revealed mothers' experiences of MCEP. Data demonstrated that calming position and emotional expression were mutually supportive, and that barriers to connection were calming cycle entry-points, not barriers. At the group level, supported by nurture specialists, fellow participants helped each other progress through calming cycles. Moreover, MCEP adapted to meet individual dyad needs, and mothers described its far-reaching impact.
Qualitative methods show that MCEP helps mother-child dyads emotionally connect through the calming cycle and fills a gap in early childhood education services. This study generated insights for quantitative studies and suggested implications for MCEP dissemination.
ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03908268 , Registered April 9, 2019-Retrospectively registered.
早期生活压力和逆境会增加情绪、行为和发育障碍的风险。为了降低学龄前儿童的这种风险，我们采用了母子情感准备（MCEP）方案，将其作为一项校内的亲子干预措施，通过母子平静周期促进母子情感联系。在哥伦比亚大学欧文医学中心与一家早期儿童学习中心合作开展的一项基于计算机的随机分组对照试验中，我们针对 MCEP 在多个领域的效果进行了测试。在这项 RCT 中，我们设计了一项定性子研究，以了解 MCEP 如何与平静周期理论保持一致，以及它对母亲和母子关系的影响。
一名定性研究人员观察了 14 次小组 MCEP 会议，会议中养育专家通过母亲和学龄前儿童之间的情绪表达促进相互的平静互动。我们按照参与者的意愿（英语或西班牙语）进行了两轮参与者访谈。参与者（n=8）多数为西班牙裔，收入处于或低于联邦贫困线。对小组会议观察结果进行了编码和分析，以了解频率、共同发生、各次会议的差异以及与平静周期理论的一致性，并纳入了人口统计学变量和出勤率。如果需要，将西班牙语的访谈记录翻译成英语，然后使用主题分析进行编码和分析。
定性分析揭示了母亲参与 MCEP 的体验。数据表明，平静的姿势和情感表达是相互支持的，而连接的障碍是平静周期的切入点，而不是障碍。在小组层面上，在养育专家和其他参与者的支持下，每个参与者都帮助彼此完成平静周期。此外，MCEP 能够适应每个亲子对的需求，母亲们描述了其深远的影响。
定性方法表明，MCEP 通过平静周期帮助母子二人建立情感联系，并填补了早期儿童教育服务的空白。本研究为定量研究提供了新的见解，并对 MCEP 的推广提出了建议。
ClinicalTrials.gov，NCT03908268，2019 年 4 月 9 日注册-事后注册。
