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pierce.546_Final Masters Thesis.pdf (464.08 KB)

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Family Functioning and Responsiveness in Family Child Care Providers

Pierce, Jessica Lynne
http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3477-9713
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1502404892864807

Abstract Details

2017, Master of Science, Ohio State University, Human Ecology: Human Development and Family Science.
Social-emotional competence is critical to young children’s success in social and academic settings across the lifespan. Non-parental primary caregivers are important socializers of children’s social emotional development, particularly through the ways they respond to children’s negative emotions. Despite this, little research has examined predictors of responsiveness or the ways they interact to influence responsiveness in samples of non-parental caregivers. The detrimental influence of elevated depression and stress on individual’s affect and interactions has been consistently documented in research; additionally, previous research suggests that work-family conflict may decrease responsiveness in parent samples. This study examined how depression and stress was associated with family child care providers’ responsiveness, and the influence of family functioning as a mediator. Direct and indirect associations were examined utilizing structural equation modeling with a national survey of 888 small licensed family child care providers from across the United States. This study found when family child care providers perceived higher levels of general stress, they reported that they utilized less positively-focused reactions, expressive encouragement, and positive social guidance; they did not report using more negative reactions or negative social guidance. When family child care providers reported higher levels of general stress and depression, they reported lower levels of family functioning. In turn, family functioning was significantly associated with each responsiveness measure, except for negative social guidance. Providers who reported higher levels of family functioning also reported responding to children in more positive ways. Additionally, higher levels of family functioning were associated with less negative reactions from family child care providers. Bootstrap analysis results found some mediation effects from family functioning for stress and responsiveness and some indirect effects through family functioning from depression to responsiveness. These findings lay a foundation for exploring the influence of family functioning on child care quality. Future studies not only need to expand upon this research and continue to identify predictors of responsiveness but also hypothesize and test the complex ways these numerous variables interact over time to fully capture responsiveness processes. These findings also suggest that child care policy may need to offer access to mental health counselors or family therapists as a way to improve caregiver responsiveness.
Cynthia Buettner, PhD (Advisor)
Suzanne Bartle Haring, PhD (Committee Member)
103 p.
Early Childhood Education; Education Policy; Families and Family Life; Gender Studies; Individual and Family Studies; Mental Health; Preschool Education; Teacher Education; Womens Studies
Responsiveness; family functioning; child care; family child care; caregivers; depression; stress; emotional development; emotion regulation; emotional competence; preschool; work-family conflict; spillover; CCNES; structural equation model

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Pierce, J. L. (2017). Family Functioning and Responsiveness in Family Child Care Providers [Master's thesis, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1502404892864807

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Pierce, Jessica. Family Functioning and Responsiveness in Family Child Care Providers. 2017. Ohio State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1502404892864807.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Pierce, Jessica. "Family Functioning and Responsiveness in Family Child Care Providers." Master's thesis, Ohio State University, 2017. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1502404892864807

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

osu1502404892864807
1,147
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This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.