Problem Under Investigation
Imagine living in a world where human to human interaction is completely non-existent.
The kind of human-to-human void that is so great that it cripples our capacity to understand
emotions, how to interact with others, how to gauge self-worth, and ultimately compromising our
physical and mental well-being. Research study have been conducted in the past decade utilizing
both traditional psychological approaches, as well as modern psychological approaches showing
that the lack of parent-child interaction early on can be a key contributing factor to poor physical
health later on in a child’s adulthood. Such a lack of interaction has shown an increase in
hypertension, high-blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, and more. While the research zeros in
on the physiological damages, it is not lost on researchers that there is an increase in negative
mental health outcomes that can also be linked to minimal parent-child interaction. This research
proposal will enable researchers to explore a method that will allow the observation of both the
parent and child through a longitudinal study. This longitudinal study will capture data via brain
imaging scans and participant questionnaires to evaluate how the lack of parent-children
interaction effects mental development long-term. The problem under investigation is the long-
term effect of minimal to no parent-child interaction on cognitive development.
“Epidemiological studies have recently documented a spike in internalizing and adolescent
behavior health problems in child and (Bor et al., 2014; Collishaw, 2015)” (Katsantonis et al.,
2022).
Conceptual Context
Previous research has shown a significant effect on long-term physiological health due to
the lack or minimal parent-child interaction. Poor health relating to hypertension, diabetes,
obesity, and even cancer is being identified among young adults who have conveyed having
minimal to no parent-child interaction in their early childhood. “Caregivers’ insecure attachment
representations were associated with poor emotion regulation strategies in response to the child’s
negative emotions” (Anderson & Keim, 2016).
With attention now drawn to just how negatively impacted physical development is by
the lack of parent-children interaction, researchers were eager to find out if mental development
was equally negatively impacted or possibly impacted even greater. This curiosity among
researchers generated more research, and that research has shown robust data that supports the
importance of transactional relationships between parents and their children. Such interaction is
imperative to a child's cognitive development, and the lack of such interaction has proven to have
long- term damaging outcomes for the now-adult. “Developmental theories suggest that the
transactional relationships between parents and children are significant predictors of children’s
psychopathology (Hudson & Rapee, 2001) and prosociality (Eisenberg et al., 2015; Spinrad &
Gal, 2018)” (Katsantonis et al., 2022). Yet again, researchers learn that the connection between
minimal to no parent-child interaction extends beyond physiological and shows effects that are
just as damaging within long-term cognitive development.
The connection between minimal to no parent-child interaction extends beyond
physiological and shows effects that are just as damaging within long-term cognitive
development. Nature versus nurture continues to be debated, and researchers are continuously
identifying that it is not just the genetic makeup that weighs heavily on cognitive development
but also the environment in which an individual is embedded. “In mammals, the quality of
the postnatal environment is shaped by parent– that and survival and can lead to with
implications for later- life neurobiological and behavioral characteristics” (Kundakovic &
Champagne, 2014).
Researchers have identified under-development ranging from language development to
substance abuse due to the lack of parent-child involvement. “Disorganized attachment is the
most extreme of insecure attachments; this is often a consequence of a trauma, such as
interpersonal neglect or psychological, physical or sexual abuse, with aspects of
neurodevelopment vulnerability in the child (Main et al., 2005)” (Gerra et al., 2021). Neuro-
imaging Research studies conducted in 2016 and 2017 have shown MRI scans within adults that
identify the absence of white matter within the brain that suggests addictive behavior. The
participating adults had indicated having minimal to no parental involvement in their early
childhood. “The dynamic in the early relationships seems to impact mostly on the future
vulnerability to Substance Use Disorder (Knudsen, 2004)” (Gerra et al., 2021).
Furthermore, research has identified that minimal to no parent-child interaction cannot
only increase the chances of mental disorders but can also increase the comorbidities within the
identified mental disorder. “The early development of effective emotion regulation abilities—
especially in easily dysregulated children—is strongly dependent on a context of safe,
supportive, and well-adapted parent child relationships, wherein parents can support and
stimulate the child's emotion regulation capacities" (Havinga et al., 2019). Havinga and fellow
researchers show within their research how the mental wellness or mental illness of a parent can
transfer onto their child. For example, when a parent is experiencing depression and provides
little to no interaction with their offspring, that child's emotional development begins to lack, and
growth in that area is now disrupted. That child then shows similar signs of depressive behavior.
“Indirectly, these findings support the relevance of including the early parent–child
interaction as a relevant domain in the search for early risk pathways towards the development of
ADHD and its comorbidities” (Havinga et al., 2019). While there is supporting data that
identifies both nature and nurture as contributing factors to the complete makeup of an
individual, there is even more in-depth evidence that shows the weight of some of those
contributing factors weighing heavier than others in some cases. This research will bring to the
forefront just how large of an impact minimal to no parent-child interaction has on long-term
cognitive development.
Research Design and Hypothesis
This longitudinal study will observe independent, dependent, and quasi- independent
participants at various monumental developmental stages of the dependent variable's life. The
mothers from both independent groups will receive a questionnaire and two cognitive
assessments. The questionnaire will enable the researcher(s) to capture daily time spent with the
child, the frequency of suggested milestone medical updates via medical appointments, and the
parental perspective of the child's growth or lack thereof. There will be two assessments
administered to the parents. The two assessments will consist of the C-SSRS (Columbia Suicide
Severity Rating Scale) and HDRS (Hamilton Depression Rating Scale)
The dependents and the quasi-independent children within the research study will be
observed at monumental developmental stages of their lives. Dependents and quasi-independents
will be observed in two playroom settings, one of which will be an isolated playroom, and the
other will be a playroom with both groups of children for a set period (20 minutes). For the
study, the rooms where the dependents and quasi-independents are observed will change and
become more age-appropriate. In addition to the observation, at various time points identified
within the study's protocol, the dependent and quasi- dependent variables will undergo MRIs and
monitored timed observation within a controlled environment. The duration of the study will be
from six months to 18 years. The researchers will be observing through the duration of the
longitudinal study to identify whether minimal to no parent-child interaction in early childhood
long-term affects one's cognitive development.
Variables
The independent variable within the selected research will consist of (15) mothers with
children at six months old. The dependent variable in this longitudinal will consist of (15)
children at six months old with minimal to no parent-child interaction. At six, children have
reached the face recognition stage, mimicking sounds, grasping objects, and entering into
mobility. There will be a quasi-independent group of additional (15) mothers and their six-
month-old children. This second group of mothers and six-month-old children will consist of
parents and children who are not experiencing a lack or minimal parent-child interaction. The
mothers and children within this group will be a comparison group throughout the study. To
determine parent-child interaction, the researcher(s) will interview the subjects (15) mothers
regarding childcare, employment, family support, partnership status, and medical history
(physical and cognitive)
This longitudinal study will observe independent, dependent, and quasi-independent
participants at various monumental developmental stages of the dependent variable’s life. The
mothers from both independent groups will receive a questionnaire and two cognitive
assessments. The questionnaire will enable the researcher(s) to capture daily time spent with the
child, the frequency of suggested milestone medical updates via medical appointments, and the
parental perspective of the child's growth or lack thereof. The two assessments administered to
the parents will be that of the CSSR-S (Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale) and HDRS
(Hamilton Depression Rating Scale). The dependents and the quasi-independent children within
the research study will be observed at monumental developmental stages of their lives.
Dependents and quasi- independents will be evaluated in two playroom settings, one of which
will be an isolated playroom and the other will be a playroom with both groups of children. The
rooms where the dependents and quasi-independents are observed throughout the study will
change and become more age-appropriate. In addition to the observation, each child will undergo
an MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) scan to observe the development of the child's brain for
the study. Also, the capturing of the MRI will assist with proving or disproving the researcher’s
hypothesis. “Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is an indispensable tool for investigating brain
development in young children and the risk and resilience” (Wedderbur, et al., 2020).
Method
Participants
The study will have 60 participants (30 mothers and 30 children). There will be no
specific age requirement for participating mothers. However, each participating child will need to
be six months old. The education of the participating mother will require a minimum of a high
school diploma or GED. The participants will be of various demographic groups, providing the
researchers with a broader audience and assisting with lessening bias in the data collected. With
the participants having diverse backgrounds, there will not be a specific region in which the
study will focus. This means that participants will be selected from suburban, urban, and rural
areas. The researchers will be collecting the ethnicity/race of the mothers at the time of the pre-
selection interview. In addition, the researcher will also obtain the ethnicity/race of the child will
be documented; however, it will not be a part of the primary objective of the research study.
To assist with selecting a diverse group of participants, the researchers will conduct a pre-
selection phone interview to determine if the interested participants are ideal candidates. Once
selected, the participant and child will be asked to come into the clinic to complete an ICF
(Informed Consent Form) and an Assent for the participating child. The mother and child
(collectively) will be compensated for their travel time via a $50 gas card, the completion of the
schedule of assessments, and the completion of study procedures via a $50 Visa gift card. On
visit days when the child undergoes an MRI scan, the mother and child (collectively) will be
compensated $125 via a Visa gift card and the standard $50 gas card. Participants will not be
compensated for missed visits, assessments, or procedures. If the participants miss more than two
milestone clinic visits, they will be considered for early termination from the research study due
to missing crucial data. The Effects of Limited Parent-child Interaction in Early Childhood on
Long-term Development 3
Apparatus/Materials
The participating mothers will be provided with a questionnaire and two cognitive
assessments. The questionnaire will capture daily time spent with the child, the frequency of
milestone medical updates via medical appointments, and the parental perspective of the child's
growth or lack thereof. The two assessments administered to the parents will be that of the
CSSR-S (Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale) and HDRS (Hamilton Depression Rating
Scale). Each scale will be administered by a certified scales rater via paper at each clinical visit
during the time their child is being observed.
Procedure
The participating children will be observed in two age-appropriate playroom settings. The
first room will be an isolated playroom with stimuli such as toys, music, and television (random
child-appropriate cartoons). The second playroom will include stimuli such as toys and other
participating children. The rooms will change and become more age-appropriate, as this is a
longitudinal study. In addition to the study-specific observational rooms, the research will utilize
MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) equipment to observe the development of the child's brain
during monumental developmental time points. The research facility is located within a local
hospital, and the child participants will be escorted to the designated imaging department with
their parents to complete the necessary MRI on the elected visit day.
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