Premium
Family Rituals in Low‐Income African American Families at Risk for Trauma Exposure and Associations with Toddlers’ Regulation of Distress
Author(s) -
Bocknek Erika L.
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
journal of marital and family therapy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.868
H-Index - 68
eISSN - 1752-0606
pISSN - 0194-472X
DOI - 10.1111/jmft.12293
Subject(s) - psychology , distress , toddler , intervention (counseling) , developmental psychology , african american , clinical psychology , association (psychology) , psychiatry , psychotherapist , ethnology , history
This study included 75 mother‐father‐toddler triadic low‐income families. Mothers and fathers reported separately on their own posttraumatic stress disorder ( PTSD ) symptoms and family rituals while children were rated by an independent observer during an emotionally eliciting task on key indicators of regulation of distress. Regression analyses supported a significant association between key dimensions of family rituals and Toddlers’ regulation of distress: occurrence, continuation, and spirituality. Effect sizes of tested relationships were strong, ranging from 25% to 36% of variance in children's distress explained. Family rituals are a salient intervention target in families and specifically help support children's developing emotion regulation competencies. Certain dimensions of family rituals may be particularly relevant to African American families, considering cultural resiliency factors. Clinical implications are discussed.