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Theory of Mind and Parental Nurturance as Predictors of Peer Relationships After Childhood Traumatic Brain Injury: A Test of Moderated Mediation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 July 2019

Stephanie Deighton ,
Christianne Laliberté Durish ,
H. Gerry Taylor ,
Kenneth Rubin ,
Maureen Dennis ,
Erin D. Bigler ,
Kathryn Vannatta ,
Cynthia A. Gerhardt ,
Terry Stancin  and
Keith Owen Yeates
Stephanie Deighton*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
Christianne Laliberté Durish
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
H. Gerry Taylor
Affiliation:
Departments of Pediatrics and Psychology, The Ohio State University, and Center for Biobehavioral Health, The Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, OH, USA
Kenneth Rubin
Affiliation:
Department of Human Development & Quantitative Methodology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
Maureen Dennis
Affiliation:
Program in Neuroscience and Mental Health, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
Erin D. Bigler
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA
Kathryn Vannatta
Affiliation:
Departments of Pediatrics and Psychology, The Ohio State University, and Center for Biobehavioral Health, The Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, OH, USA
Cynthia A. Gerhardt
Affiliation:
Departments of Pediatrics and Psychology, The Ohio State University, and Center for Biobehavioral Health, The Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, OH, USA
Terry Stancin
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, MetroHealth Medical Center and Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA
Keith Owen Yeates
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute and Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, AB, Canada
*
*Correspondence and reprint requests to: Stephanie Deighton, Department of Psychology, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive NW Calgary, AB, T2N 1N4, Canada. E-mail: smdeight@ucalgary.ca
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Abstract

Objective: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) sustained in childhood is associated with poor social outcomes. This study investigated the role of theory of mind (ToM) as a mediator of the relation between TBI and peer rejection/victimization and reciprocated friendships, as well as the moderating effect of parental nurturance on those relationships. Method: Participants were children of 8–13 years old (M = 10.45, SD = 1.47), including 13 with severe TBI, 39 with complicated mild/moderate TBI, and 32 children with orthopedic injuries. Data on peer rejection/victimization and friendship were collected in school classrooms using the Extended Class Play and friendship nominations. Parents rated parental nurturance using the Child-Rearing Practices Report. Finally, ToM was measured based on children’s average performance across three tasks measuring different aspects of ToM. Results: Severe TBI was associated with poorer ToM, greater peer rejection/victimization, and fewer reciprocated friendships. ToM mediated the relation between severe TBI and peer rejection/victimization (i.e., severe TBI predicted poorer ToM, which in turn predicted greater rejection/victimization). Parental nurturance significantly moderated this relation, such that the mediating effect of ToM was significant only at low and average levels of parental nurturance, for both severe and complicated mild/moderate TBI groups. Neither the mediating effect of ToM nor the moderating effect of parental nurturance was significant for reciprocated friendships. Conclusion: High parental nurturance may mitigate the negative effects of ToM deficits on risk of peer rejection/victimization among children with TBI. Interventions designed to increase parental nurturance or ToM may promote better social outcomes among children with TBI.

Keywords

PediatricsTraumatic brain injurySocial outcomesReciprocated friendshipsPeer rejection/victimizationTheory of mindParenting
Type
Regular Research
Information
Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society , Volume 25 , Issue 9 , October 2019 , pp. 931 - 940
Copyright
Copyright © INS. Published by Cambridge University Press, 2019. 

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