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. 2023 Feb 15:14:969974.
doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.969974. eCollection 2023.

The interplay among familial risk, narrative coherence, and emotional problems from early to middle childhood

Fabio Sticca  1   2 , Olivia Gasser-Haas  1   2 , Corina Wustmann Seiler  1   3
Affiliations

The interplay among familial risk, narrative coherence, and emotional problems from early to middle childhood

Fabio Sticca et al. Front Psychol. .

Abstract

The present study is a longitudinal extension (long-term follow-up) of a previous study examining the promotive and protective role of children's narrative coherence in the association between early familial risk factors and children's emotional problems from early to middle childhood. A total of 293 (T1; M age = 2.81), 239 (T2; M age = 3.76), and 189 (long-term follow-up T3; M age = 9.69) children from 25 childcare centers participated in this study. Familial risk factors were assessed at T1 using a caregiver interview and questionnaire. Narrative coherence was assessed using the MacArthur Story Stem Battery that was administered to the children at T2. Children's emotional problems were rated by the caregivers and by their teachers at T2 and T3. Results suggest that familial risk factors are linked to more emotional problems both in the short-term (T2) and the long-term (T3). Further, although some of the effects of relevant magnitude did not reach statistical significance, results pertaining to the role of narrative coherence indicate that it might have a promotive and protective effect in the short-term as well as a promotive effect in the long-term. These findings point to the relevance of children's narrative coherence as a cognitive ability and personality factor that contributes to more positive development and to better coping with adverse familial experiences.

Keywords: early childhood; emotional problems; familial risk factors; narrative coherence; resilience.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Standardized results from the model with narrative coherence (NC) as a moderator of the association between familial risk factors (FRF) and emotional problems (EP). FRF*NC represents interaction term between familial risk factors and narrative coherence. Control variables were omitted for simplicity. +p < 0.10; *p < 0.05; **p < 0.01; ***p < 0.001.
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