Examining Complex Transactional Associations among Family Media Use, Caregiver-Child Interactions, and Behavioral Functioning in At-Risk Young Children (R01HD114644)

Examining Complex Transactional Associations among Family Media Use, Caregiver-Child Interactions, and Behavioral Functioning in At-Risk Young Children (R01HD114644) is sponsored by National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD). This grant supports research investigating the impacts of early exposure to technology and digital media on caregiver-child interactions and child outcomes.

Award Information | HHS TAGGS Other Financial Assistance Grants by Recipient Class Grants by Location - US/World Grants by Location - US by Metro/Non-Metro Assistance Listings Summary close data submission menu Examining Complex Transactional Associations among Family Media Use, Caregiver-Child Interactions, and Behavioral Functioning in At-Risk Young Children Award Number: R01HD114644 ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF CHILD HEALTH AND HUMAN DEVELOPMENT AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS) PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 09/01/2024 PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 05/31/2029 Examining Complex Transactional Associations among Family Media Use, Caregiver-Child Interactions, and Behavioral Functioning in At-Risk Young Children - Project Summary Digital technology and screen media have become increasingly ubiquitous in the lives of young children, fueling urgent calls for better understanding how screen media use impacts child development and mental health.

Emerging research has suggested associations between child media use and child emotional and behavioral difficulties, including problems with attention, self-regulation, and disruptive behavior, and some evidence further suggests that early behavioral functioning may also predict later screen media use.

However, the nature of the association between early screen media use and child emotional and behavioral functioning remains under debate due to inconsistent findings, limited availability of robust long-term studies, and a lack of understanding regarding the underlying mechanisms driving these effects.

Additionally, much of the existing research on early screen media use and child development has been limited to considering only a child's overall exposure to screen media (i.e., duration of screen media use), disregarding crucial contextual factors, such as, content, purpose, and caregiver media use, that are essential for clarifying how early screen media use impacts (and is impacted by) young children's emotional and behavioral functioning.

To address these gaps, we propose to follow an existing cohort of 200 children and their caregivers, who were previously enrolled in an NICHD-funded randomized trial for infants at-risk for externalizing behavior problems.

The primary aims of this R01 application are to investigate transactional associations between characteristics of family media use and developmental trajectories of early child emotional and behavioral functioning, and to investigate caregiver-child interactions, parenting, and caregiver distress as key mechanisms of these associations.

Measures of parenting, caregiver-child interactions, and child functioning, as well as screen media use, were administered in the prior trial when children were 1-2 years old. We propose to follow these caregiver-child dyads yearly from age 3 years to kindergarten entry (age 5 years).

Specifically, we will examine family screen media use (including duration of parent and child media use, content, purposes of use, co-use), caregiver-child interactions, child behavior and self-regulation, and caregiver wellbeing at each time point via robust, noninvasive, and validated means.

Using growth curve modeling, we will investigate 1) transactional associations between family media use and child self-regulation and behavior, 2) longitudinal associations between family media use and caregiver-child interactions, and whether a brief parenting intervention moderates these associations, and 3) caregiver-child interactions and caregiver distress as mediators.

The proposed study responds to NICHD priorities to investigate impacts of early exposure to technology and digital media on caregiver-child interactions and child outcomes, and the results of the proposed research will help inform healthy family media use guidelines and interventions that are relevant to modern digital age.

Issue Date FY Funding FY Legal Entity Name Legal Entity Address Legal Entity City Legal Entity State Legal Entity Zip Code Legal Entity COUNTY Legal Entity COUNTRY Assistance Listing Award Code Budget Year Action Date Action Type Action Amount Issue Date FY: 2026 ( Subtotal = $600,700 ) 2026 2026 FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY 11200 SW 8TH ST MIAMI FL 33199 MIAMI-DADE USA Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research 000 3 5/26/2026 NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION $600,700 Issue Date FY: 2025 ( Subtotal = $608,215 ) 2025 2025 FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY 11200 SW 8TH ST MIAMI FL 33199 MIAMI-DADE USA Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research 000 2 5/28/2025 NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION $608,215 Issue Date FY: 2024 ( Subtotal = $623,746 ) 2024 2024 FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY 11200 SW 8TH ST MIAMI FL 33199 MIAMI-DADE USA Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research 000 1 8/29/2024 NEW $623,746 Grand Total All Awards = $1,832,661 Sum of Action Amount is $1,832,661; HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).

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