The Impact of Maternal Emotion Talk on an Early Intervention for Infants with Elevated Levels of Behavior Problems.

Abstract

Child behavioral difficulties benefit from early intervention, yet current research lacks analysis of strength-based factors, particularly within high-risk samples from marginalized communities. Towards this end, this secondary data analysis examined the moderating effect of maternal emotion talk on infant behavior outcomes after completing a home-based adaptation of Parent Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT), coined the Infant Behavior Program (IBP). Participants were fifty-eight mother-infant dyads (53% male, mage =14.45 months, and 91% Hispanic or Latine) randomly assigned to either receive IBP or standard pediatric care. Maternal emotion talk significantly moderated outcomes, such that the effect of IBP, compared to standard pediatric care, on infant externalizing and dysregulation scores was stronger among mothers with higher baseline levels of emotion talk. Findings support maternal emotion talk as a strength-based predictor of treatment response and can be used to inform future prevention and intervention efforts from a strengths-based perspective.