Kemp, Christine, authorLunkenheimer, Erika, advisorMacPhee, David, committee memberZimmerman, Toni, committee memberOrsi, Rebecca, committee member2015-08-282015-08-282015http://hdl.handle.net/10217/167244The current studies examined the relation between family risk and parent-child interactive processes during early childhood. Study 1 used a cumulative risk model to examine how child maltreatment (CM) risk related to mother-child rupture and repair processes at age three (N=138 dyads). Rupture and repair were assessed using dynamic systems-based modelling of second-by-second behavioral patterns during a mother-child problem-solving task. Group-based analyses indicated that high- and low-risk families did not differ in the frequency of their repairs or the average time taken to repair a dyadic rupture. In both groups children were more likely to rupture than mothers and mothers were quicker to repair than children. Survival analyses indicated that higher risk predicted less time-to-event for mother ruptures (e.g., higher risk predicted quicker mother ruptures) but was not related to time-to-event for child rupture, child repair, or mother repair. Study 2 examined effects of mother and father psychopathology on parent-child repair and flexibility during a problem-solving task at age three (N=25 families). Actor Partner Interdependence Models (APIM; Kenny et al., 2006) were used. Results indicated that father-child dyads were significantly quicker to repair their ruptures than mother-child dyads. Contrary to hypotheses, results indicated no significant actor effects for parental psychopathology on repair proportion, repair speed, or flexibility. These studies highlighted the utility of analyzing moment-to-moment interaction patterns between parents and young children as well as the importance of taking a systemic and comprehensive assessment of family risk.born digitaldoctoral dissertationsengCopyright and other restrictions may apply. User is responsible for compliance with all applicable laws. For information about copyright law, please see https://libguides.colostate.edu/copyright.Text