Parent-child interaction frequency: associations with age, sibling presence, and child health.

Objectives

Parent-child interaction plays a crucial role in child development. This study investigated associations between the frequency of parent-child-interactions and sociodemographic characteristics (age, sex, socio-economic status, family structure, number and age of siblings), physical and psychological symptoms in children, and mental health of parents.

Methods

The frequencies of 11 different parent-child interactions (shared reading, singing, moving, painting, building, puzzle, playing ball, role games, language games, number games and talking about problems) were assessed in 739 children aged 2-6.5 years-old using a standardised parental questionnaire, within a population-based cohort study in Leipzig, Germany. Physical and psychological symptoms were investigated using the HBSC Symptom-Checklist and parental depression symptoms using the Patient Health Questionnaire. We applied regression analyses to assess associations between variables.

Results

Shared reading was the parent-child interaction reported most frequently, with an average occurrence of several times a week. Number games were reported least frequently, with an average occurrency of every two weeks. Fewer parent-child interactions were significantly associated with higher child age, higher number of siblings, presence of older siblings and a lower level of physical and psychological symptoms. The other variables (sex, SES, living situation, presence of younger siblings or both (younger and older), depression symptoms of parents) were not significantly associated with the frequency of parent-child interactions.

Conclusion

The findings show that age of children and number as well as age of siblings at home may shape the frequency of parent-child interaction in preschool children. In addition, the findings suggest that parent-child interaction might be related to the health of children rather than the (mental) health of parents.

Impact

This study assessed the associations between the frequency of different types of parent-child interactions and sociodemographic as well as health-related parameters in a large sample of children. There still exist sex-specific differences in the frequency of parent-child interactions related to traditional role models of girls and boys. A higher frequency of parent-child interactions is associated with more physical and psychological symptoms in children. Parent-child interactions are less frequent in families with more children, especially when older siblings are present.

References:

• Landry, S. H., Smith, K. E. & Swank, P. R. The importance of parenting during early childhood for school-age development. Dev. Neuropsychol. 24, 559–591 (2003).
• Smith, K. E., Landry, S. H. & Swank, P. R. The role of early maternal responsiveness in supporting school-aged cognitive development for children who vary in birth status. Pediatrics 117, 1608–1617 (2006).
• Poulain, T., Ludwig, J., Hiemisch, A., Hilbert, A. & Kiess, W. Media use of mothers, media use of children, and parent–child interaction are related to behavioral difficulties and strengths of children. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 16, 4651 (2019).
• Milteer, R. M. et al. The importance of play in promoting healthy child development and maintaining strong parent-child bonds: focus on children in poverty. Pediatrics 129, e204–e213 (2012).
• Ginsburg, K. R. Committee on Communications, & and the Committee on Psychosocial Aspects of Child and Family Health The importance of play in promoting healthy child development and maintaining strong parent-child bonds. Pediatrics 119, 182–191 (2007).