A Parent-Generated Framework of Early Connection: Findings from a CBPR Qualitative Study
Discuss this preprint
Start a discussion What are Sciety discussions?Listed in
This article is not in any list yet, why not save it to one of your lists.Abstract
Background
Early relational health (ERH) constructs are derived from research observations rather than lived experiences. This study foregrounds diverse parent voices to examine how they describe connection with their young children.
Methods
Using community-based participatory research (CBPR), this study was co-designed with parent leaders from Reach Out and Read. A semi-structured interview guide was co-designed, and parent leaders subsequently conducted and transcribed 18 interviews with parents from their networks. Researchers analyzed transcripts using Reflexive Thematic Analysis. Member checking sessions with parent leaders informed the analytic framework.
Results
Six organizing principles were identified. (1) Parent-child connection begins with an instinctual sense of responsibility. (2) Connection ebbs and flows as parent and child adapt to one another through daily activities. (3) Family circumstances, including family structure, cultural expectations, and intergenerational values, directly shape this connection. (4) Parents’ own upbringings and past relationships indirectly shape how they connect with their child. (5) For connection to grow, parents must show up physically and emotionally for their children despite competing demands. (6) Parents grow through engaged parenting, and that growth feeds back into the connection, creating a self-sustaining cycle of relational health.
Conclusions
Our analysis generated two constructs underspecified in ERH frameworks. Parents described their sense of responsibility as immediate and instinctual, preceding an emotional bond. Parents demonstrated their agency in deciding what to carry forward from their relational histories, a pattern this study terms relational legacy. Integrating parent-generated language into ERH measurement research may shape a more comprehensive picture of ERH reflecting how families experience connection.
