title: Infant self-regulation and early childhood media exposure.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Examine prospective associations between parent-reported early childhood self-regulation problems and media exposure (television and video viewing) at 2 years. We hypothesized that children with poor self-regulation would consume more media, possibly as a parent coping strategy.
  
  
  METHODS
  We used data from 7450 children in the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Birth Cohort. When children were 9 months and 2 years old, parents completed the Infant Toddler Symptom Checklist (ITSC), a validated scale of self-regulation. With daily media use at 2 years as our outcome, we conducted weighted multivariable regression analyses, controlling for child, maternal, and household characteristics.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Children watched an average of 2.3 hours per day (SD 1.9) of media at age 2 years. Infants with poor self-regulation (9-month ITSC score ≥3) viewed 0.23 hour per day (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.12-0.35) more media at 2 years compared with those with 9-month ITSC score of 0 to 2; this remained significant in adjusted models (0.15 hour per day [95% CI 0.02-0.28]). Children rated as having persistent self-regulation problems (ITSC ≥3 at both 9 months and 2 years) were even more likely to consume media at age 2 (adjusted β 0.21 hour per day [95% CI 0.03-0.39]; adjusted odds ratio for >2 hours per day 1.40 [95% CI 1.14-1.71]). These associations were slightly stronger in low socioeconomic status and English-speaking households.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Early childhood self-regulation problems are associated with mildly increased media exposure, even after controlling for important confounding variables. Understanding this relationship may provide insight into helping parents reduce their children's screen time.
authors.affiliation: Division of General Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics, Boston Medical Center, Boston Massachusetts; and jenny.radesky@bmc.org.
authors.forename: Jenny S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Radesky
authors.affiliation: Division of General Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics, Boston Medical Center, Boston Massachusetts; and.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Silverstein
authors.affiliation: Division of General Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics, Boston Medical Center, Boston Massachusetts; and.
authors.forename: Barry
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Zuckerman
authors.affiliation: Seattle Children's Research Institute, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington.
authors.forename: Dimitri A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Christakis
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D016487:Parenting / Q000523:psychology; D010552:Personality Assessment; D011446:Prospective Studies; D002666:Psychology, Child; D012927:Social Control, Informal; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D013690:Television; D018910:Video Games
keywords: fussy infant; infant; media; self-regulation; television
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