An Examination of Maternal Sensitive Responsiveness and Children’s Cognitive and Socioemotional Development in the Context of Biopsychosocial Risk
Year: 2023
Type: dissertation
Abstract: This dissertation investigated the influence of distal and proximal factors on children's cognitive and socioemotional development, focusing on the mediating and moderating role of maternal sensitive responsiveness within the context of biopsychosocial risk. Utilizing a novel statistical technique, meta-analytic structural equation modeling (MASEM), Studies One and Two demonstrated that maternal sensitive responsiveness partially mediates the transmission of risk factors to children's language outcomes and psychopathology. Study Three examined the moderating effects of maternal sensitive responsiveness on neurocognitive outcomes in children where the maternal placenta was found to be non-optimal during the pregnancy. The findings revealed that placental pathology negatively effects aspects of children's executive functioning, and maternal sensitive responsiveness showed a borderline significant effect in moderating the development of executive functioning. Collectively, this dissertation provides valuable insights into the interplay between risk factors, maternal sensitive responsiveness, and children's cognitive and socioemotional development.
Source: TSpace (University of Toronto)
Author: Borairi, Sahar
Institution: University of Toronto
Language: English
Subfield: Clinical Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7133070313