Parent-child relationships in young homeless families: Co-regulation as a predictor of child self-regulation and school adjustment

Developing adaptive behaviors are particularly important for children growing up in
contexts of risk and adversity. This study examined the role of effective parenting for
school success in a high-risk sample of children, focusing on co-regulation experiences
with parents in relation to child self-regulation skills. In early childhood, it is largely
through experiences of co-regulation within the caregiver-child relationship that children
develop self-regulation. These skills are carried forward into other contexts of learning
and development, including the school environment. The current thesis examined parentchild relationships among 138 families residing in emergency homeless shelter prior to
the children entering kindergarten and first grade. Using observational data and state
space grid methodology, I examined the parent-child relationship as a dynamic system
with implications for children‟s school success and executive function (a central
component of self-regulation). Results indicated that the positive co-regulation
experiences were related to executive function capabilities and IQ in the child, which in
turn were related to school outcomes. Parent responsiveness in particular was related to
positive school outcomes. Person-oriented cluster analyses of individual state space grids
revealed distinct types of dyads among the homeless families, highlighting individual
differences in dyadic functioning. Findings support theory and earlier findings in
developmental and resilience science implicating effective parenting in the acquisition of
adaptive skills among children who overcome adversity, in part through processes of coregulation that shape or scaffold the development of self-regulation and related cognitive skills in young children.

Citation: Herbers JE. 2012. Parent-child relationships in young homeless families: Co-regulation as a predictor of child self-regulation and school adjustment. Ann Arbor, MI: ProQuest Information & Learning.