Clara Bixler
Research Mentor: Katherine Bauer
Mentor Department: Nutritional Sciences, Public Health
Author(s): Clara Bixler, Michelle Clayson, Brian Oberly, Heidi Weeks, Kate Bauer
Session: Session 1 (9:00 AM – 9:50 AM)
Presentation Type: Poster 63
Abstract
Parenting strategies vary in each household, and it is a guardian’s role to prepare their children for life once they move out. The strategies guardians use to raise their children have been shown to impact the children’s behavior later in life (Lanjekar et al., 2022). One common way that guardians discipline their children is through the use of food, however there is a lack of understanding in how using food as reward/punishment is associated with a child’s behavior. This analysis aimed to examine associations between a mother’s self regulation, their child’s self regulation, the mother’s use of food as reward/punishment, and the child’s behavioral difficulties (peer relationships and behavioral and emotional issues). This analysis used data from wave 3 of the SPROUT study, an observational study that aimed to examine ways in which a mother supports their children’s growth in their pre-school years. Data from 283 pairs of participants, each consisting of a mother and their biological child, was used. The mother filled out surveys relating to their family life, how they parent, and their child’s behavior. We focused on four surveys in this particular analysis. We used the BRIEF-A Global Executive Composite (GEC) T-score to score the mother’s self-regulation. We used the Comprehensive Feeding Practices Questionnaire (CFPQ) Food as Reward Subscale as a way to assess if the mother was using food as reward/punishment. The Emotional Regulation Checklist (ERC) total score was used to determine the child’s self-regulation, and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) difficulties subscale was used to assess the child’s behavioral difficulties. Spearman correlations were used to assess the associations between the four factors: a mother’s self regulation, their child’s self regulation, the mother’s use of food as a reward/punishment, and the child’s behavioral difficulties. We expected to find that as a mother’s level of self regulation increases, their child’s level of self regulation will increase, their child’s behavioral difficulties will decrease, and their use of food as reward/punishment will decrease. We found multiple statistically significant associations between the variables tested: a positive correlation between a mother’s self regulation and their child’s self regulation, a negative correlation between a child’s self regulation and the child’s behavioral difficulties, a negative correlation between the mother’s self regulation and their use of food as a reward/punishment, and a positive correlation between the use of food as a reward/punishment and the child’s behavioral difficulties. By understanding these associations we can direct further research that helps improve children’s behavior and self-regulation, which can impact factors such as their relationships, education, and adiposity (Anderson, S.E., Keim, S.A., 2016).
