This review is part of a series of scoping reviews of population-based cohort studies, designed to inform public health approaches to strengthening the relational ecology of early child development. Here, we scoped prospective cohort studies that have assessed the association between infant-parent relational health during the first years of life (from conception to age three years) and relationship quality across the life course. Studies were included if they explored predictor measurement of infant relational behaviors with their parent (e.g., attachment status) or parent relational behaviors with their infant (e.g., parental sensitivity), and a relational health outcome across the whole social ecology. A systematic search of the literature was conducted in September 2023. The search identified 15,454 articles, of which 108 studies were deemed eligible for inclusion. An additional nine articles were identified via citation searching resulting in 117 included studies. We examined associations across four developmental periods (early childhood, middle childhood, adolescence, and adulthood), in a range of affiliative relationships, disaggregating outcomes in intra-familial and extra-familial relationships. Despite considerable variation in measurement and sampling, we found consistent evidence of enduring influence of infant-parent relationship quality for relational functioning well into adolescence. For some relationship forms, this extended into adulthood. Understanding the reach of early parent-infant relational quality onto life course relational outcomes has potential to inform public health policy settings.
The reliability of child and youth reports of traumatic events and adverse experiences (TRACEs) is a critically important but highly contentious issue. This paper presents a developmental perspective for understanding reporting, forgetting, and reimagining such experiences. This perspective addresses the targeted question of how to conceptualize correspondence in reports across time (i.e., the reliability of reports) and applies a developmental lens (both theory and data) to these data while also integrating relevant neuroscience data. This review provides 1) a critical summary of recent meta-analyses and data on consistency in reports of TRACEs and 2) a critical summary of systematic reviews of autobiographical memory in TRACEs and integrates 3) emerging developmental and neuroscience research and theory to support this perspective. The perspective emphasizes that there may be an evolution of the memory of a traumatic event and evolution in the perception of an event as traumatic over time. The perspective thereby implies that awareness of an event as traumatic is not limited to a strict dichotomy-either something traumatic happened or it did not-but can also be understood as a continuum, ranging from a strong memory or perception of the event as traumatic to weaker recollections and evolving interpretations over time.
Extended family members play an important role in meeting the care needs of autistic individuals, yet family support policies and practices often overlook this role. We aimed to synthesise qualitative research on the role played by extended family members in the lives of autistic individuals and their parents and identify cultural patterns. We searched eight databases and selected relevant studies through a two-stage screening process. We synthesised the results and discussions described in the selected studies using template analysis. The review included 42 studies (40 qualitative; 2 mixed methods), reporting on 1048 parents and 2140 grandparents. While aunts, uncles, and cousins were not direct participants, their roles were described in participants’ narratives. Three main themes were developed: (1) types of support from extended family members, including emotional, financial, instrumental, and informational support; (2) unhelpful or lack of support from extended family members, including misunderstanding about autism, absence of support with caregiving, and negative attitudes and discriminatory behaviours against autistic individuals as well as their parents; (3) factors influencing the role of extended family members, including individuals, family unit, family interaction characteristics, and a journey towards acceptance and cultural influences. Novel findings on the influence of culture suggested in cultures highly valuing family interdependence, extended relatives play a more prominent support role, yet the emphasis on family reputation might hinder the acceptance of autism by extended relatives. Based on a family systems approach, we recommend priorities for intervention development and clinical practice to support the effective involvement of extended family members.

