Jelena Obradović - Profile on Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Jelena Obradović

Additional file 8: Fig. S1. A) We used a data reduction method, PCA, to compare the 500 probeset ... more Additional file 8: Fig. S1. A) We used a data reduction method, PCA, to compare the 500 probeset Houseman deconvolution signature in adult PBMC samples (Reinius) and child PBMC samples of GECKO and C3ARE. We observed an overlap of adult and child PBMC profiles in PC1 and PC2 (cumulatively accounting for 98% of DNAm variance in Houseman signature). B) Hierarchical clustering of adult PBMC samples (Reinius) and our pediatric PBMC profiles across all 500 Houseman deconvolution probes showed no discernible clustering between adult and child samples. These findings suggest that the Houseman deconvolution signature of both adult and child PBMC samples are consistent.

Additional file 4: Fig. S7. Representation of A) 4980 CpGs underlying validated cis-mQTL, B) tiss... more Additional file 4: Fig. S7. Representation of A) 4980 CpGs underlying validated cis-mQTL, B) tissue-specific mQTL-associated CpGs and C) shared-tissue mQTL-associated CpGs across various genomic features. Bars show the fold-change between CpG count in each genomic region and the mean count of randomly selected CpGs in that same genomic feature, from 10,000 iterations. Error bars show standard error (* denotes significant enrichment or depletion at FDR ≤ 0.05) (S = South; N = North).

Additional file 3: Fig. S6. Overlap of cis-mQTL identified in matched tissues of both C3ARE and G... more Additional file 3: Fig. S6. Overlap of cis-mQTL identified in matched tissues of both C3ARE and GECKO cohorts, respectively.

Additional file 11: Fig. S4. Principal component analysis of PsychChip genotyping profiles (542,6... more Additional file 11: Fig. S4. Principal component analysis of PsychChip genotyping profiles (542,699 SNPs) for C3ARE (shown in blue) and GECKO (shown in red) revealed that genetic ancestry did not differ significantly between the cohorts as determined by Wilcoxon ranked-sum test of GECKO versus C3ARE in PC1 scores (p = 0.8) and PC2 scores (p = 0.4).

Algorithms & Code JMASM 32: Multiple Imputation of Missing Multilevel, Longitudinal Data: A Case When Practical Considerations Trump Best Practices?

A pedagogical tool is presented for applied researchers dealing with incomplete multilevel, longi... more A pedagogical tool is presented for applied researchers dealing with incomplete multilevel, longitudinal data. It explains why such data pose special challenges regarding missingness. Syntax created to perform a multiply-imputed growth modeling procedure in Stata Version 11 (StataCorp, 2009) is also described.

Executive Functions and Externalizing Symptoms: Common and Unique Associations

Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 2017

In discussing the four papers in this special issue, we provide our perspective on the authors’ c... more In discussing the four papers in this special issue, we provide our perspective on the authors’ contributions and suggest directions for future research. First, we highlight the usefulness of the bi-factor model for investigating relations among specific aspects of executive functions (EFs) and externalizing symptoms. Next, we examine the role of EFs as a protective factor that can moderate the relation between risk factors – specifically, callous-unemotional behaviors – on externalizing symptoms. And finally, we address the contributions of innovative measurement approaches to understanding the relations between EFs and externalizing symptoms, using the state-space grid methodology as an example.

SYMPOSIUM: Psychometric Evaluations of Wechsler Scales: Cross-Cultural Contexts

Developmental psychology, 2021

Fine motor skills enable children to make precise and coordinated movements with their hands and ... more Fine motor skills enable children to make precise and coordinated movements with their hands and support their ability to engage in everyday activities and learning experiences. In a longitudinal study of 1,058 4-year-old children in rural Pakistan (n = 488 girls), we examined how prior and concurrent levels of home stimulation relate to change in fine motor skills from ages 2 to 4 while controlling for family wealth, maternal education, number of siblings at birth, prior and concurrent measures of children's physical growth and food insecurity, and prior motor skills at age 2. Moreover, we tested whether the association between early home stimulation and subsequent fine motor skills was mediated by physical growth, food insecurity, motor skills at age 2, and concurrent home stimulation. Results revealed that home stimulation at 18 months was positively associated with change in fine motor skills from ages 2 to 4, over and above family socioeconomic resources. This association w...

Society for Research on Educational Effectiveness, 2016

During the 1980s, the face of homelessness changed, as families with children began to use emerge... more During the 1980s, the face of homelessness changed, as families with children began to use emergency shelters in the Twin Cities and across the country. In 1985, the Minnesota Department of Economic Security reported 290 dependent children with families in shelters statewide on a single night in November. A decade later, in November 1995, this number had risen more than 500% to 1,532 children. By 2005, it was 2,477. The proportion of the total sheltered homeless population in Minnesota who were children in families has risen sharply during the last two decades, increasing from 23% in 1985 to 39% in 2008. These counts of sheltered individuals did not include many other children living with families doubled up with each other in the same residence or young “sofa surfers” staying with friends. Two decades ago, it was not feasible to accurately compute the numbers of homeless children attending school during a given academic year, because records simply did not exist. However, school ac...

Las empresas, generalmente, obtienen financiamiento de sus activos mediante deudas a largo plazo.... more Las empresas, generalmente, obtienen financiamiento de sus activos mediante deudas a largo plazo. En el caso de que se dé esta premisa, su costo de capital debe reflejar el costo promedio de las diversas fuentes de financiamiento que se hayan usado. Las partidas que aparecen en el lado derecho del Balance General (los diversos tipos de deudas y capital contable) son los componentes de financiamiento de una empresa. Cualquier incremento en los activos totales debe ser financiado mediante un aumento en uno o más de los componentes de financiamientos. El objetivo del presente artículo es demostrar que, con el correcto uso del WACC (Costo Promedio Ponderado de Capital), se obtendrá una mejor y confiable valoración de los flujos proyectados. Este instrumento financiero permite encontrar el costo promedio de las diversas fuentes de financiamiento, mediante el uso de ponderaciones que representan la participación de cada fuente en relación al financiamiento total. Este trabajo estará basado bajo el método analíticodeductivo, debido a la importancia que tiene cada componente a tratarse y a su vez erradicar los posibles errores en el uso del WACC, ya que de esta dependerá la validación de los flujos y en efecto de la empresa. El uso eficiente del Costo Promedio Ponderado de Capital (WACC) permite a las empresas valorar los flujos de una forma más real y confiable.

Socio-cultural factors influencing preschool enrolment in a rural cohort exposed to early parenting interventions in Pakistan: A qualitative study

Improving Schools, 2020

Early parenting interventions have shown to be effective for changing parenting behaviours to pro... more Early parenting interventions have shown to be effective for changing parenting behaviours to provide stimulation at home. However, evidence about the effect on decision to timely enrol the child in preschool and the related pathways is scarce. A follow-up study of a rural cohort exposed to early parenting interventions in the first 2 years of life in Pakistan though indicated benefits for children’s cognitive skills and learning environment at home but did not improve preschool enrolment rates. The aim of this study was to explore stakeholder knowledge, attitudes and perceptions about preschool education that may influence parent’s decision of enrolment. A qualitative study using a phenomenological approach was conducted. Data collection methods included focus group discussion and in-depth interviews with the parents and the teachers and observations of selected preschools. An emergent thematic analysis was followed. Findings showed that community attitudes related to their role in...

Parent–child physiological synchrony: Concurrent and lagged effects during dyadic laboratory interaction

Developmental Psychobiology, 2021

This study investigated whether parents and kindergarten children show concurrent and time-lagged... more This study investigated whether parents and kindergarten children show concurrent and time-lagged physiological synchrony during dyadic interaction. Further, we tested whether parent-child behavioral co-regulation was associated with concurrent and time-lagged synchrony, and whether synchrony varied by the type of interaction task. Participants were 94 children (Mage = 5.6 years, 56% female) and their parents. We simultaneously measured parent and child respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) during four dyadic interaction tasks: free play, clean up, problem-solving, and puzzle teaching. We found that synchrony varied by task. Concurrent synchrony occurred only during the puzzle teaching task, such that parent and child RSA were significantly and positively associated with each other simultaneously. Time-lagged synchrony occurred only during the problem-solving task, such that parent RSA was positively associated with child RSA 30 seconds later, and child RSA was negatively associated with parent RSA 30 seconds later. Although behavioral co-regulation and physiological synchrony have been conceptualized as markers of responsive parent-child interactions, our study finds no evidence that physiological synchrony is associated with between-dyad differences in behavioral co-regulation.

Introduction to special issue on global child development studies

Developmental Science, 2019

The determination to provide children with the best possible conditions to thrive transcends cult... more The determination to provide children with the best possible conditions to thrive transcends cultures and borders. Historically, most child development research has taken place in high-income countries and represented mostly western, educated, industrialized, wealthy, and democratic population. Yet, over the last few decades the field of child development has undergone an exponential expansion into new cultural and geographical locations. Efforts to translate and test existing tools, and to introduce advanced methodologies such as eye-tracking, neuroimaging, and app-based technology to new contexts are occurring all over the world. With this special issue we aim to represent recent child development research across the globe. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Teachers’ rankings of children’s executive functions: Validating a methodology for school-based data collection

Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 2018

We developed a novel, vignette-based ranking procedure to simultaneously collect teacher-reported... more We developed a novel, vignette-based ranking procedure to simultaneously collect teacher-reported executive function (EF) data for all students in a classroom. This ranking measure is an improvement over existing Likert-type rating scales because it can be completed more quickly and with comparatively little effort by teachers. Data for this validation study were drawn from a large, school-based study of third, fourth, and fifth graders (N = 813 from 33 classrooms in eight schools) in which ranking data and direct assessments of EF were collected. Using a subsample of students for whom teachers' ratings of EF and school records data were also collected (N = 311), we demonstrated that teachers' rankings of EF showed high convergent validity with teachers' ratings of EF and that both teacher-reported measures showed similar convergent validity with direct assessments of EF and similar predictive validity with respect to students' scores on standardized English/language arts and math achievement tests. Using data from the larger sample (N = 813), we conducted a simulation study demonstrating that the impact of missing data on the association between the rankings and the direct assessments of EF is minimal. Based on these results, the ranking procedure is a methodological innovation that enables the collection of relatively high-quality teacher-reported EF data for all students in a classroom quickly and with minimal burden on teachers. This vignette-based assessment method could be adapted to other domains of non-academic skills. We discuss varied uses of the ranking method for researchers and practitioners.

Teachers’ perceptions of students’ executive functions: Disparities by gender, ethnicity, and ELL status

Journal of Educational Psychology, 2018

Teacher-report is commonly used to assess executive functions (EFs) in schools, but teachers’ per... more Teacher-report is commonly used to assess executive functions (EFs) in schools, but teachers’ perceptions of EF skills may be biased by students’ demographic characteristics. In this short-term longitudinal study, we assessed whether students’ gender, ethnicity, and English language learner (ELL) status predicted teachers’ reports of students’ EFs, beyond what would be expected based on direct assessment of EFs. In addition, we tested whether these associations changed between the fall and spring. Data were drawn from a school-based study of third-, fourth-, and fifth-grade students (N = 558, 33 classrooms, 8 schools) in which students’ EFs were measured using direct assessments and teacher reports in the fall and spring. Using path analysis to control for the contribution of the direct assessment of EFs, we found systematic gender, ethnic, and ELL status disparities in teachers’ reports of students’ EFs. Moreover, these disparities did not change between the fall and spring. Given increased interest in incorporating teachers’ report of students’ EF skills into student report cards and school accountability indices, researchers and practitioners should further investigate and address the potential for systematic disparities in teachers’ reports of EFs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved)

Maternal and paternal stimulation: Mediators of parenting intervention effects on preschoolers' development

Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 2019

Abstract This study examined mothers' and fathers' developmentally stimulating parenting ... more Abstract This study examined mothers' and fathers' developmentally stimulating parenting practices (i.e., engagement in play and communication activities) as mediators through which an early parenting intervention improved later cognitive and socioemotional development of 1302 4-year-old children in rural Pakistan. Maternal and paternal stimulation were both reported by the child's mother at 12, 24, and 48 months. Preschoolers' cognitive skills were directly assessed using standardized tests and socioemotional development was based on maternal ratings. Controlling for sociodemographic factors and children's prior levels of development, results revealed that both maternal and paternal stimulation significantly mediated intervention effects on children's longer-term cognitive and socioemotional development. Greater indirect effects were found through maternal than paternal stimulation. Additionally, more stimulation by one parent positively predicted later changes in his or her partner's stimulation. Implications for targeting both mothers' and fathers' parenting behaviors in early childhood interventions and further unpacking these family processes are discussed.

PLOS ONE, 2018

The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) is widely-used to measure symptoms of common c... more The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) is widely-used to measure symptoms of common childhood behavioral problems that may lead to mental health difficulties. In a sample of 1,302 highly-disadvantaged mothers and their preschoolers, we evaluated the factor structure and reliability of the parent-report version of the SDQ in rural Pakistan. Confirmatory factor analyses suggested that the original structure of the SDQ was not appropriate for our data. We created conceptually-and empirically-coherent measures of children's externalizing behavior problems and prosocial skills. Child and family correlates of social-emotional behaviors were similar to those found in other countries, supporting the validity of our new composites. Girls and children with more siblings had fewer externalizing behavior problems and more prosocial behaviors at four years. Further, maternal depressive symptoms and food insecurity were uniquely linked to more externalizing behavior problems at four years. In contrast, maternal education, home environment quality, and social-emotional skills at two years were associated with more prosocial behaviors at four years.

Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 2017

We describe and validate a novel, scalable, group-based assessment of executive functions (EFs) i... more We describe and validate a novel, scalable, group-based assessment of executive functions (EFs) in a classroom setting using tablet computers. Relative to the conventional method of a more controlled, one-on-one individual assessment (IA), the group assessment (GA) can be administered quickly to many students, requires less training for assessors, and measures performance in a naturalistic classroom setting. In a socioeconomically and ethnically diverse sample of 269 students in third through fifth grade, we show that IA and GA scores for the same tasks were highly inter-correlated, equally reliable, and showed analogous associations with known EF covariates. IA and GA scores independently predicted teacher-rated self-regulated classroom behavior and standardized test scores. Further, only the GA score emerged as a unique predictor of academic achievement when controlling for prior achievement. We are sharing the tablet apps, source code, and supporting materials for this GA procedure at no cost under an open-source license.

Developmental Science, 2016

This study employed piecewise growth curve modeling to examine how children's executive function ... more This study employed piecewise growth curve modeling to examine how children's executive function (EF) skills relate to different components of children's physiological response trajectoryinitial arousal, reactivity, and recovery. The sample included 102 ethnically diverse kindergarteners, whose EF skills were measured using standard tasks and observer ratings. Physiological response was measured via changes in respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) in response to a laboratory sociocognitive challenge. Children's cool and hot EF skills were differentially related to both linear and quadratic components of RSA response during the challenge. Greater hot EF skills and assessor report of EF skills during laboratory visit were related to quicker RSA recovery after the challenge. These findings demonstrate that children's physiological response is a dynamic process that encompasses physiological recovery and relates to children's self-regulation abilities. • Children's physiological response is a dynamic pro- cess that includes distinct reactivity and recovery trajectories. • Discrepancies in how cool and hot EF skills relate to RSA response to the challenge task may index different utilization of these skills during social and cognitive task demands. • Higher executive function skills in emotionally demanding situations were uniquely related to physiological recovery, as indexed by faster RSA augmentation following the challenge. • Findings are consistent with the polyvagal perspec- tive of social engagement and highlight the importance of studying the interplay between physiological and behavioral regulation.

Algorithms & Code JMASM 32: Multiple Imputation of Missing Multilevel, Longitudinal Data: A Case When Practical Considerations Trump Best Practices?

Executive Functions and Externalizing Symptoms: Common and Unique Associations

Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 2017

SYMPOSIUM: Psychometric Evaluations of Wechsler Scales: Cross-Cultural Contexts

Developmental psychology, 2021

Society for Research on Educational Effectiveness, 2016

Socio-cultural factors influencing preschool enrolment in a rural cohort exposed to early parenting interventions in Pakistan: A qualitative study

Improving Schools, 2020

Parent–child physiological synchrony: Concurrent and lagged effects during dyadic laboratory interaction

Developmental Psychobiology, 2021

Introduction to special issue on global child development studies

Developmental Science, 2019

Teachers’ rankings of children’s executive functions: Validating a methodology for school-based data collection

Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 2018

Teachers’ perceptions of students’ executive functions: Disparities by gender, ethnicity, and ELL status

Journal of Educational Psychology, 2018

Maternal and paternal stimulation: Mediators of parenting intervention effects on preschoolers' development

Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 2019

PLOS ONE, 2018

Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 2017

Developmental Science, 2016

Development and Psychopathology, 2009

Longitudinal growth trajectories of reading and math achievement were studied in four primary sch... more Longitudinal growth trajectories of reading and math achievement were studied in four primary school grade cohorts (GCs) of a large urban district to examine academic risk and resilience in homeless and highly mobile (H/HM) students. Initial achievement was assessed when student cohorts were in the second, third, fourth, and fifth grades, and again 12 and 18 months later. Achievement trajectories of H/HM students were compared to low-income but nonmobile students and all other tested students in the district, controlling for four well-established covariates of achievement: sex, ethnicity, attendance, and English language skills. Both disadvantaged groups showed markedly lower initial achievement than their more advantaged peers, and H/HM students manifested the greatest risk, consistent with an expected risk gradient. Moreover, in some GCs, both disadvantaged groups showed slower growth than their relatively advantaged peers. Closer examination of H/HM student trajectories in relation to national test norms revealed striking variability, including cases of academic resilience as well as problems. H/HM students may represent a major component of "achievement gaps" in urban districts, but these students also constitute a heterogeneous group of children likely to have markedly diverse educational needs. Efforts to close gaps or enhance achievement in H/HM children require more differentiated knowledge of vulnerability and protective processes that may shape individual development and achievement.

Biological sensitivity to context: The interactive effects of stress reactivity and family adversity on socioemotional behavior and school readiness.

Biological sensitivity to context: The interactive effects of stress reactivity and family adversity on socioemotional behavior and school readiness., 2010

How can the study of physiological reactivity contribute to our understanding of adversity and resilience processes in development?

Development and Psychopathology, 2012

The focus of this article is to present current progress in understanding the interplay among adv... more The focus of this article is to present current progress in understanding the interplay among adversity, physiological sensitivity to context, and adaptive functioning, with an emphasis on implications and future directions for resilience researchers. It includes a review of current literature that demonstrates (a) links between various levels of adversity exposure and variability in physiological reactivity, (b) how the interplay between children&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#39;s physiological reactivity and different sources of risk and adversity relates to variability in adaptive functioning, and (c) various approaches for capturing a more dynamic nature of physiological reactivity and related processes. Throughout, important conceptual and empirical issues are highlighted.

Developmental Neuroscience, 2009

Developmental Psychophysiology of Emotion Processes

Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development, 2012

The symphonic structure of childhood stress reactivity: Patterns of sympathetic, parasympathetic and adrenocortical responses to psychological challenge.

The symphonic structure of childhood stress reactivity: Patterns of sympathetic, parasympathetic and adrenocortical responses to psychological challenge. , 2014

Biological Sensitivity to Experiences of Early Childhood Social Hierarchies: Risk and Protective Processes

Child Development, 2008

Associations among internalizing, externalizing, and social competence were examined in a longitu... more Associations among internalizing, externalizing, and social competence were examined in a longitudinal cohort (N 5 205) of 8-to 12-year-old children reassessed after 7, 10, and 20 years. Theoretically informed nested structural equation models tested interconnections among broad multi-informant constructs across four developmental periods. Follow-up analyses examined gender invariance, measurement and age effects, and putative common causes. Key model comparisons indicated robust negative paths from social competence to internalizing problems from childhood to adolescence and from emerging adulthood to young adulthood. Social competence and externalizing problems showed strong initial associations in childhood but no longitudinal cross-domain paths. Using a developmental psychopathology framework, results are discussed in relation to cascade and transactional effects and the interplay between competence and symptoms over time.

Development and Psychopathology, 2010

This investigation examined transactional relations across contextual strain, parenting quality, ... more This investigation examined transactional relations across contextual strain, parenting quality, and child adjustment in 209 mothers and children at 24, 42, and 72 months of age. Independent ratings of mothers' stressful life events, social support, and relationship quality provided an objective measure of maternal contextual strain. Observers evaluated parenting quality during parent-child interactions at each time point. Child regulatory functioning during laboratory tasks at 24 and 42 months was evaluated by independent observers based on both behavioral (e.g., noncompliance, distractibility) and emotional (e.g., frustration, anger) indices. At 72 months, teachers reported on children's externalizing behaviors, and children completed objective measures of academic achievement. Nested path analyses were used to evaluate increasingly complex models of influence, including transactional relations between child and parent, effects from contextual strain to parenting and child adaptation, and reciprocal effects from child and parent behavior to contextual strain. Over and above stability within each domain and cross-sectional cross-domain covariation, significant paths emerged from maternal contextual strain to subsequent child adjustment. Bidirectional relations between parenting and child adjustment were especially prominent among boys. These findings counter unidirectional models of parent-mediated contextual effects by highlighting the direct influences of contextual strain and parent-child transactions on early childhood behavioral and academic adjustment, respectively.

Development and Psychopathology, 2010

This study examined developmental processes linking competence and psychopathology in an urban sa... more This study examined developmental processes linking competence and psychopathology in an urban sample of girls during their transition to adolescence. Longitudinal associations among indices of externalizing symptoms, social competence, and internalizing symptoms were also tested within contexts of family adversity and girls' pubertal status. Child, parent, and teacher report were employed to assess core constructs across six annual assessment waves, starting at age 9. Results revealed the significant effect of prior levels of externalizing symptoms on changes in social competence and internalizing symptoms, as well as reciprocal relations between social competence and internalizing symptoms. In addition, girl's maladaptive functioning predicted increases in family adversity exposure over time. Lastly, more mature pubertal status in early assessment waves was linked to an increase in internalizing symptoms; however, this association was reversed by the last assessment, when most girls had reached advance stages of puberty. The timing of these effects reveals important targets for future interventions aimed at promoting the successful adaptation of girls in adolescence.

Developmental Psychology, 2005

A developmental cascade model linking competence and symptoms was tested in a study of a normativ... more A developmental cascade model linking competence and symptoms was tested in a study of a normative, urban school sample of 205 children (initially 8 to 12 years old). Internalizing and externalizing symptoms and academic competence were assessed by multiple methods at the study outset and after 7, 10, and 20 years. A series of nested cascade models was tested through structural equation modeling. The final model indicated 2 hypothesized cascade effects: Externalizing problems evident in childhood appeared to undermine academic competence by adolescence, which subsequently showed a negative effect on internalizing problems in young adulthood. A significant exploratory effect was consistent with internalizing symptoms containing or lowering the net risk for externalizing problems under some conditions. These 3 cascade effects did not differ by gender and were not attributable to effects of IQ, parenting quality, or socioeconomic differences. Implications are discussed for developmental models of cascades, progressions, and preventive interventions.

Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology, 2009

Resilience in Emerging Adulthood: Developmental Perspectives on Continuity and Transformation

Emerging adults in America: Coming of age in the 21st century., 2006

APA PsycNET Our Apologies! - The following features are not available with your current Browser c... more APA PsycNET Our Apologies! - The following features are not available with your current Browser configuration. - alerts user that their session is about to expire - display, print, save, export, and email selected records - get My ...

Background Undernutrition contributes to at least half the estimated six million annual childhood... more Background Undernutrition contributes to at least half the estimated six million annual childhood deaths worldwide. Furthermore, one in three children fails to meet their developmental potential because of risks including stunting, illness, under-stimulation, poor responsive interactions and maternal depressive symptoms. Our study investigates the role of caregiving processes on children's height-forage at 2 and 4 years. Methods The Pakistan Early Child Development Scale-up study assessed the longitudinal effectiveness of early nutrition and responsive stimulation interventions on growth and development at 4 years of age. In total, 1302 children were followed up from birth to 4 years. We leveraged path analyses to explore potential mediators of early intervention effects on children's height-forage at 4 years, including maternal depressive symptoms, mother–child interaction quality, diarrhoeal illness and height-forage at 2 years. Results Our final model had excellent model fit (comparative fix index = 0.999, Tucker–Lewis index = 0.998, root mean square error of approximation = 0.008) and showed that mother–child interaction quality mediated the effects of both enhanced nutrition and responsive stimulation interventions on height-forage at 4 years via its longitudinal stability from 2 years of age (β = 0.016, p = 0.005; β = 0.048, p < 0.001, respectively). Further, diarrhoeal illness mediated the effects of maternal depressive symptoms at 1 year post partum on children's height-forage at 4 years via the longitudinal stability of height-forage z-score from 2 years of age onwards (β = À0.007, p = 0.019). Conclusions The quality of early caregiving experience mediated the association between both interventions and height-forage. The effect of maternal depressive symptoms on growth was mediated by diarrhoeal illness. Programmatic approaches to child nutrition and growth must address all these potentially modifiable factors.

Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 2010

Homeless children show significant developmental delays across major domains of adaptation, yet r... more Homeless children show significant developmental delays across major domains of adaptation, yet research on protective processes that may contribute to resilient adaptation in this highly disadvantaged group of children is extremely rare. This study examined the role of effortful control for adaption in 58 homeless children, ages 5-6, during their transition to school. Effortful control skills were assessed using children's performance on four standard executive functioning tasks. Adaptive functioning was assessed by teacher report of academic competence, peer competence, and internalizing and externalizing symptoms. Variable-focused and person-focused results indicate that effortful control may be an important marker of school readiness and resilience. Controlling for child IQ, parenting quality, and socio-demographic risks, effortful control emerged as the most significant predictor of all four salient developmental domains of adaptation as well as of resilient status of homeless children. Implications of these findings are discussed for future research and design of interventions.

An Integrative View of School Functioning: Transactions Between Self-Regulation, School Engagement, and Teacher-Child Relationship Quality

Child Development, 2014

This study investigates the dynamic interplay between teacher-child relationship quality and chil... more This study investigates the dynamic interplay between teacher-child relationship quality and children&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#39;s behaviors across kindergarten and first grade to predict academic competence in first grade. Using a sample of 338 ethnically diverse 5-year-old children, nested path analytic models were conducted to examine bidirectional pathways between children&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#39;s behaviors and teacher-child relationship quality. Low self-regulation in kindergarten fall, as indexed by inattention and impulsive behaviors, predicted more conflict with teachers in kindergarten spring and this effect persisted into first grade. Conflict and low self-regulation jointly predicted decreases in school engagement which in turn predicted first-grade academic competence. Findings illustrate the importance of considering transactions between self-regulation, teacher-child relationship quality, and school engagement in predicting academic competence.

The mechanisms underlying adaptive functioning of homeless children: The role of effortful control

Academic Risk and Resilience in the Context of Homelessness

Child Development Perspectives, 2014

ABSTRACT Family homelessness in the United States has increased over the past two decades, raisin... more ABSTRACT Family homelessness in the United States has increased over the past two decades, raising concerns about associated risks for child development. In this article, we describe a translational research program focused on academic risk and resilience in homeless and highly mobile children. We find that although these children share many risk factors with other disadvantaged children, they are higher on an underlying continuum of risk. Additionally, marked variability has been observed among children who experience homelessness, both in risk level and achievement, with many children manifesting resilience. We discuss implications for research and efforts to address disparities in achievement.

Early Education & Development, 2011

Research Findings: Effects of parenting quality on the academic functioning of young homeless chi... more Research Findings: Effects of parenting quality on the academic functioning of young homeless children were examined using data from 58 children, age four to seven, and their parents during their stay at an emergency homeless shelter. Parenting quality, child executive function, child intellectual function, and risk status were assessed in shelter, and teacher reports of academic functioning were obtained when children began kindergarten or first grade. As hypothesized, parenting quality was associated with children's academic success, and this effect was mediated by executive function skills in the child. Parenting quality also had a moderating effect on risk, consistent with a protective role of high quality parenting among children with higher risk levels.

This study examined the unique contributions and interplay of children's executive function (EF) ... more This study examined the unique contributions and interplay of children's executive function (EF) skills and challenge preference for adaptive classroom behaviors. The sample included socioeconomically and ethnically diverse third, fourth, and fifth grade students (N = 334, M = 9.30 years). EFs were directly assessed using tablet tasks in the classroom setting, challenge preference was measured with self-report questionnaires, and teachers reported on students' classroom behaviors. Both EFs and challenge preference independently predicted students' task orientation, assertiveness, peer social skills, and frustration tolerance, whereas only EFs were linked to stu-dents' conduct problems. Further, challenge preference emerged as a significant moderator of the association between EFs and students' assertiveness. Specifically, EFs were more strongly associated with students' assertiveness among students with low challenge preference. Implications include structuring classrooms to promote challenge preference by focusing on effort and learning.

Deconstructing Psychobiological Reactivity: The Contributions of Psychomotor Activity and Stress Response In Five Year Old Children

Manuscript …, 2009

Page 1. Deconstructing Psychobiological Reactivity: The Contributions of Psychomotor Activity and... more Page 1. Deconstructing Psychobiological Reactivity: The Contributions of Psychomotor Activity and Stress Response in Five Year Old Children (UNDER REVIEW-DO NOT CITE WITHOUT PERMISSION) Nicole R. Bush and ...

Differentiating challenge reactivity from psychomotor activity in studies of children's psychophysiology: Considerations for theory and measurement.

Differentiating challenge reactivity from psychomotor activity in studies of children's psychophysiology: Considerations for theory and measurement., 2011

Journal of Modern Applies Statistical Methods, 2013