Outcomes of parental investment in high-risk children

This study assesses the combined effects of children’s early medical risk (e.g., preterm status) and parental investment levels (time spent in provision of care to target children as opposed to other family members) on children’s response to novel, potentially distressing stimuli. While engaged in play activities, children were exposed to stimuli that were either neutral (a speaker on television with a calm voice) or threatening (a speaker with an angry voice). A significant interaction between children’s risk status and parental investment was found only for threatening stimuli. High-risk children with high-investing parents showed high visual engagement with potentially threatening responses, whereas high-risk children with low-investing parents were more likely to show visual avoidance. No comparable effects were found for low-risk children. Findings were interpreted as showing that high-risk children with a history of high parental investment are more likely to attend to potentially threatening events, an adaptive response in the presence of reliable support.

► We test evolutionary developmental predictions about children’s threat reactions.
► Threat responses of children differ based on parental investment and child risk.
► Children born at medical risk attend to threat when parents show high investment.
► Young children attend selectively to angry voices on TV based on their history.