Unit 4 Assignment 1 Case Study

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Running head: CASE STUDY 1 Case Study: Dawn Unit 4 Assignment 1 PSY – 6015 Lifespan Development Dr. Brad May Capella University Fall 2023

Running head: CASE STUDY 2 Introduction For this case study, the focus of the subject is four-year-old, African American toddler Dawn, who lives with her mother and father, Terry and Bill, and now, younger baby brother, Darren. The issue at hand is Dawn’s behavior shift due to the new addition to the family requiring medical care and the parents being strained to provide for their son due to monetary constraints. Prior to the arrival of the ill infant, Dawn had a secure attachment to her parents due to the authoritative parenting style and constant attention to her behavior. Now, since the attention has shifted to Darren, Dawn is acting out more due to her inability to regulate or control her emotions (Thomas & Chess, 1977). Since Dawn is misbehaving at preschool and the church program, Terry has tried to solve her outbursts with a more control-oriented approach of parenting. Analysis To understand what Dawn and her parents are experiencing, we must examine the application of parenting styles and the self-system which applies to cognitive development. This will enable us to understand what Dawn and her parents are feeling in the situation. Since Dawn is in her self-monitoring stage of cognitive development, then it is determined she is supposed to be able to regulate her feelings and emotions. The self-monitoring phase develops into self- regulation, yet, due to the change in the household, Dawn is unable to control her impulses and emotions (Broderick & Blewitt, 2020). The ability to use cognitive thinking starts during toddlerhood and refines over time to adulthood with better regulation of emotions (Green et al., 2022).

Running head: CASE STUDY 3 Unfortunately, when the attention given to Dawn was suddenly shifted to Darren, Dawn felt as if she was losing her secure base which in turn caused her behavioral shift to aggression, outbursts, and attention seeking. At her age, Dawn is not able to grasp why the attention has turned from her to her younger brother. She is unable to put this forth in words, therefore, it translates into negative behaviors to gain her parents’ attention. Another aspect that has changed is Dawn cannot comprehend why her mother has shifted from a warmer dimensional parenting style to a sudden control dimensional parenting style. The reason for the sudden shift is due to Terry wanting to control Dawn’s behavior and is unable to do so, so she results to stricter and harsher control (Broderick & Blewitt, 2020). When Dawn does not respond to the warmer parenting style, Terry enforces actions to get Dawn to behave since she is tired and overwhelmed from caring for Darren. Terry switched her parenting style from an authoritarian to authoritative due to the stress of caring for both children, not to mention, a child who is extremely ill. Terry expected Dawn to become more independent so she could care for Darren, but Terry has forgotten that Dawn does not understand the direness of the circumstance. While it is not intentional, Terry is trying to shove more autonomy on Dawn than she can process at a mere four years old. Since Bill is working overtime to provide for the household and cover all the bills, Terry has little to no support system and is overwhelmed. There are a few noted cultural challenges for this family. The family is of African American descent, where values are placed upon cooperation, individualism, and tradition (Broderick & Blewitt, 2020). Since Dawn belongs to an ethnic minority, this could present the family as a stereotype, such as a broken family and unfit parents. The father, Bill, is absent from any parenting responsibility due to the demands of bills, thus increasing his hours at work. This

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Running head: CASE STUDY 4 increases the workload upon Terry, the mother, and might lead to problems later if Dawn becomes upon the impression that she does not have to obey her father. Also, Bill’s insurance is limited, therefore, it could give the impression to others that he is not working hard enough to provide for his family, resulting in poverty if the bills become too much of a burden. When African Americans receive poorer care due to a lack of pristine health insurance, then certain treatments that Darren may require could potentially be out of reach. Lastly, since Dawn is having trouble self-regulating due to the lack of care or attention received from her parents, the emotional need is not being met (Konishi et al., 2018). Terry’s shift in parenting style has caused Dawn to have embraced adults’ authority and status on her own since she feels she has no one to turn to currently (Broderick & Blewitt, 2020). Not only have Dawn’s emotions been laid to turmoil, but Terry has also been shouldering the stress of providing care for her ill son while her husband is at work. Therefore, Terry is trying to cope, but has no support. In Eastern culture, it is the mothers who were more involved and responsible for the emotional, social, and physical well needs of the children, while the fathers were less likely to be involved (Kwok & Wong, 1999). Thus, mothers are bound to be more stressed and overwhelmed than the father, due to the responsibility of managing the children, household, and provide for every need. In turn, the mother’s behavior would impact the child if her outlook were negative or positive, and if the emotional support is being met by the parents (Hoghughi & Long, 2004). This means that parents, including Terry, must be aware of how her emotions or parenting style might be perceived by their daughter. A solution to this situation is Parent Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT), which is designed for parents and children who are having behavioral issues or emotional difficulties (Messer et al.,

Running head: CASE STUDY 5 2022). There are two stages of PCIT which include the Child-Directed Interaction Phase (CDI) and the Parent-Directed Interaction Phase (PDI). In the CDI stage, this is when parents mimic child-like skills to understand the relationship better between child and parents. When the child is leading the activity, the guide titled PRIDE, which stands for praise, reflect, imitate, describe, and enjoy, is implemented. For each behavior, an action is given by the parent which reflects how the child is feeling or the need to think upon what needs to be done differently. In the PDI stage, the parents or caretakers learn more behavioral management for the child’s emotional regulation. Parents learn how to effectively give commands to the children in order to manage behavior for any remaining challenges. The end goal is to create a positive environment for the child, in which the child feels safe, secure, and that their needs are met. Dawn and Terry would both benefit from the application of this intervention. Terry would be able to better cope with Dawn’s behavior, but this does not present a solution to the worry and stress with Darren. Conclusion The apparent challenges that Dawn presented with were her temperament and lack of self-regulation, while her parents were facing the challenge of caring not only for her, but for her severely ill brother. Dawn would be able to self-regulate her emotions better with the introduction of PCIT, if Terry made time and effort to implement the strategies. However, with the lack of a support group, this may present as the final challenge to solve. To implement a behavioral plan, Terry and Bill would first need to secure help while their family is working through the motions to restore peace in the household with Dawn.

Running head: CASE STUDY 6 References Broderick, P. C., & Blewitt, P. (2020). The life span: human development for helping professionals (5th ed.). Pearson. Green, L. M., Genaro, B. G., Ratcliff, K. A., Cole, P. M., & Ram, N. (2022). Investigating the developmental timing of self-regulation in early childhood. International Journal of Behavioral Development. https://doi.org/10.1177/01650254221111788 Hoghughi, M., & Long, N. (2004). Handbook of parenting: Theory and research for practice . SAGE Publications Ltd, https://doi.org/10.4135/9781848608160 Konishi, H., Karsten, A., & Vallotton, C. D. (2018). Toddlers’ use of Gesture and Speech in Service of Emotional Regulation During Distressing Routines. Infant Mental Health Journal, 39(6), 730–750. https://doi.org/10.1002/imhj.21740 Kwok, S., & Wong, D. (1999). Mental health of mothers with young children in Hong Kong: the roles of parenting stress & parenting self-efficacy. Journal of Family Psychology, 11, 38- 52. Messer, E. P., Eismann, E. A., Folger, A. T., Grass, A., Bemerer, J., & Bensman, H. (2022). Comparative effectiveness of parent–child interaction therapy based on trauma exposure and attrition. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy . https://doi.org/10.1037/tra0001259.supp

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