Improving emotional availability in Australian mother-toddler dyads via the Tuning in to Toddlers parenting program
Abstract This study examined whether an emotion socialisation parenting program, Tuning in to Toddlers (TOTS), contributed to observed improvements in mother-toddler emotional availability. Parents of toddlers aged 18–36 months were recruited through childcare centres and maternal child health centr...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Nature Portfolio
2025-02-01
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| Series: | Scientific Reports |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-80827-y |
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| Summary: | Abstract This study examined whether an emotion socialisation parenting program, Tuning in to Toddlers (TOTS), contributed to observed improvements in mother-toddler emotional availability. Parents of toddlers aged 18–36 months were recruited through childcare centres and maternal child health centres in Melbourne, Australia and were allocated to either an intervention or a waitlist control condition in a cluster-randomised controlled design. Parents in the intervention condition participated in 6 group sessions of TOTS. Baseline and 12-month follow up observation assessments for 99 mother-toddler dyads (intervention, n = 50; control, n = 49) were coded using the Emotional Availability Scales (4th edition) and analysed for between-group differences and clinically reliable change. Compared with the control condition, mothers in the intervention condition showed significant improvements in maternal sensitivity (p = 0.004). Further, significantly more intervention dyads reliably improved on maternal structuring (p =0 .013) and child responsiveness (p =0 .042), whereas those who received no intervention reliably deteriorated on maternal sensitivity (p = 0.001) and non-intrusiveness (p = 0.040). Thus, the preliminary evidence from this study indicates that an emotion socialisation program delivered to parents of toddlers may influence emotional availability. |
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| ISSN: | 2045-2322 |