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: Zoe C. G. Cloud, Christiane E. Kehoe, Karli Treyvaud, Bradley Wright, Sophie S. Havighurst
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-02-01
Series:Scientific Reports
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-80827-y
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author Zoe C. G. Cloud
Christiane E. Kehoe
Karli Treyvaud
Bradley Wright
Sophie S. Havighurst
author_facet Zoe C. G. Cloud
Christiane E. Kehoe
Karli Treyvaud
Bradley Wright
Sophie S. Havighurst
author_sort Zoe C. G. Cloud
collection DOAJ
description 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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spelling doaj-art-a3c48987957a498dbacddade1969a2992025-02-09T12:29:51ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-02-0115111210.1038/s41598-024-80827-yImproving emotional availability in Australian mother-toddler dyads via the Tuning in to Toddlers parenting programZoe C. G. Cloud0Christiane E. Kehoe1Karli Treyvaud2Bradley Wright3Sophie S. Havighurst4School of Psychology and Public Health, La Trobe UniversityMindful: Centre for Training and Research in Developmental Health, Department of Psychiatry, The University of MelbourneSchool of Psychology and Public Health, La Trobe UniversitySchool of Psychology and Public Health, La Trobe UniversityMindful: Centre for Training and Research in Developmental Health, Department of Psychiatry, The University of MelbourneAbstract 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.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-80827-y
spellingShingle Zoe C. G. Cloud
Christiane E. Kehoe
Karli Treyvaud
Bradley Wright
Sophie S. Havighurst
Improving emotional availability in Australian mother-toddler dyads via the Tuning in to Toddlers parenting program
Scientific Reports
title Improving emotional availability in Australian mother-toddler dyads via the Tuning in to Toddlers parenting program
title_full Improving emotional availability in Australian mother-toddler dyads via the Tuning in to Toddlers parenting program
title_fullStr Improving emotional availability in Australian mother-toddler dyads via the Tuning in to Toddlers parenting program
title_full_unstemmed Improving emotional availability in Australian mother-toddler dyads via the Tuning in to Toddlers parenting program
title_short Improving emotional availability in Australian mother-toddler dyads via the Tuning in to Toddlers parenting program
title_sort improving emotional availability in australian mother toddler dyads via the tuning in to toddlers parenting program
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-80827-y
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