Black or African American
33%
Source
Landry, S. H., Smith, K. E., & Swank, P. R. (2006). Responsive parenting: Establishing early foundations for social, communication, and independent problem-solving skills. Developmental Psychology, 42(4), 627-42.
Model(s) Reviewed
Funding Sources
Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, Grant HD36099.
Study Design
| Design | Attrition | Baseline equivalence | Confounding factors | Valid, reliable measures? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Randomized controlled trial | Low | Established on race and socioeconomic status | None |
Study Participants
Mother-infant pairs were recruited from hospitals serving families from lower-income backgrounds and assigned to one of two intervention groups: PALS I or a Developmental Assessment of Skills (DAS) comparison group. Initially 264 mother-infant pairs were randomly assigned, 131 to the treatment group and 133 to the comparison group. After attrition, 241 mother-infant pairs (121 PALS I and 120 DAS) remained in the study. Approximately one-third of each group was African American, Hispanic, or Caucasian. Most were poor and unmarried. Mothers were all 18 years old or older at intake, and averaged 27.8 years old in the treatment group and 27.0 years old in the comparison group. On average, mothers had 12.6 years of education in both groups. Participants were followed over the course of 10 visits.
Guttentag et al. (2006) and Smith et al. (2006) used the same sample as this study and described an analytic sample of this size and composition. Although the two studies do not include outcomes that are eligible for the HomVEE review, their information about the analytical sample size and composition provide an additional source of information for evaluating the Landry et al. (2006) study.
Setting
The study was conducted in the Houston-Galveston (Texas) area.
Home Visiting Services
PALS I consists of a series of 10 home visits, each lasting 1.5 hours and occurring approximately weekly. The home visits are guided by a curriculum that included (1) asking mothers to review their experiences across the past week related to their efforts to try targeted behaviors, (2) describing the current visit’s targeted behavior, (3) watching and discussing with mothers the educational videotape of mothers from similar backgrounds, (4) videotaping mothers interacting with their infants in situations that the mothers selected with coaching, (5) supporting mothers to critique their behaviors and the infants’ responses during the videotaped practice, and (6) planning with mothers how to integrate responsive behaviors into their everyday activities with laminated cards. The facilitator coached the mothers to use the targeted behaviors, including commenting on the infants’ responses when the behaviors were used. Sessions were available in both English and Spanish.
Comparison Conditions
Comparison group members received the same number of home visits from facilitators, which included discussions about new infant skills during the previous week and infant development and assessment. Facilitators provided mothers with answers to and handouts about their questions on infant skill development.
Subgroups examined
• Early term or full-term birth (yes or no)
Study Participants
Mother-infant pairs were recruited from hospitals serving families from lower-income backgrounds and assigned to one of two intervention groups: PALS I or a Developmental Assessment of Skills (DAS) comparison group. Initially 264 mother-infant pairs were randomly assigned, 131 to the treatment group and 133 to the comparison group. After attrition, 241 mother-infant pairs (121 PALS I and 120 DAS) remained in the study. Approximately one-third of each group was African American, Hispanic, or Caucasian. Most were poor and unmarried. Mothers were all 18 years old or older at intake, and averaged 27.8 years old in the treatment group and 27.0 years old in the comparison group. On average, mothers had 12.6 years of education in both groups. Participants were followed over the course of 10 visits.
Guttentag et al. (2006) and Smith et al. (2006) used the same sample as this study and described an analytic sample of this size and composition. Although the two studies do not include outcomes that are eligible for the HomVEE review, their information about the analytical sample size and composition provide an additional source of information for evaluating the Landry et al. (2006) study.
Setting
The study was conducted in the Houston-Galveston (Texas) area.
Home Visiting Services
PALS I consists of a series of 10 home visits, each lasting 1.5 hours and occurring approximately weekly. The home visits are guided by a curriculum that included (1) asking mothers to review their experiences across the past week related to their efforts to try targeted behaviors, (2) describing the current visit’s targeted behavior, (3) watching and discussing with mothers the educational videotape of mothers from similar backgrounds, (4) videotaping mothers interacting with their infants in situations that the mothers selected with coaching, (5) supporting mothers to critique their behaviors and the infants’ responses during the videotaped practice, and (6) planning with mothers how to integrate responsive behaviors into their everyday activities with laminated cards. The facilitator coached the mothers to use the targeted behaviors, including commenting on the infants’ responses when the behaviors were used. Sessions were available in both English and Spanish.
Comparison Conditions
Comparison group members received the same number of home visits from facilitators, which included discussions about new infant skills during the previous week and infant development and assessment. Facilitators provided mothers with answers to and handouts about their questions on infant skill development.
Subgroups examined
• Early term or full-term birth (yes or no)
Findings that rate moderate or high in this manuscript
| Outcome measure | Timing of follow-up | Rating | Direction of Effect | Effect size (absolute value) | Stastical significance | Sample size | Sample description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Contingent Responsiveness | 12 months | High | 0.93 | Statistically significant, p < 0.01 | 241 mother/child dyads | PALS I vs. DAS | ||
| Warm Sensitivity | 12 months | High | 0.49 | Statistically significant, p < 0.01 | 241 mother/child dyads | PALS I vs. DAS | ||
| Harshness of Voice Tone | 12 months | High | 0.28 | Statistically significant, p = 0.02 | 241 mother/child dyads | PALS I vs. DAS | ||
| Physical Intrusiveness | 12 months | High | 0.50 | Statistically significant, p = 0.01 | 241 mother/child dyads | PALS I vs. DAS | ||
| Maintaining Infant Foci of Attention | 12 months | High | 0.36 | Not statistically significant, p = 0.08 | 241 mother/child dyads | PALS I vs. DAS | ||
| Redirecting Infant Foci of Attention | 12 months | High | 1.31 | Statistically significant, p < 0.01 | 241 mother/child dyads | PALS I vs. DAS | ||
| Verbal Scaffolding | 12 months | High | 0.79 | Statistically significant, p < 0.01 | 241 mother/child dyads | PALS I vs. DAS | ||
| Labeling Objects | 12 months | High | 0.71 | Statistically significant, p < 0.01 | 241 mother/child dyads | PALS I vs. DAS | ||
| Labeling Actions | 12 months | High | 0.63 | Statistically significant, p < 0.01 | 241 mother/child dyads | PALS I vs. DAS | ||
| Verbal Encouragement | 12 months | High | 0.71 | Statistically significant, p < 0.01 | 241 mother/child dyads | PALS I vs. DAS |
| Outcome measure | Timing of follow-up | Rating | Direction of Effect | Effect size (absolute value) | Stastical significance | Sample size | Sample description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Social Skills: Cooperation | 12 months | High | 0.39 | Not statistically significant, p = 0.08 | 241 mother/child dyads | PALS I vs. DAS | ||
| Negative Affect (With Examiner) | 12 months | High | 0.70 | Statistically significant, p < 0.01 | 241 mother/child dyads | PALS I vs. DAS |
This study included participants with the following characteristics at enrollment:
Race/Ethnicity
Maternal Education
Other Characteristics
This study included participants from the following locations:
- Texas