Rifkin-Graboi, Anne

Preferred name
Rifkin-Graboi, Anne
Email
anne.rifkin@nie.edu.sg
Department
Office of Education Research (OER)
Learning Sciences and Assessment (LSA)
Personal Site(s)
ORCID
Now showing 1 - 10 of 27
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    Open Access
    Physical discipline as a normative childhood experience in Singapore
    (Springer, 2023)
    Sudo, Mioko
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    Won, Ying Qing
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    Chau, Winnie W. Y.
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    Meaney, Michael J.
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    Kee, Michelle Z. L.
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    Chen, Helen
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    Eriksson, Johan Gunnar
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    Yap, Fabian
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    Rifkin-Graboi, Anne 
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    Tiemeier, Henning
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    Setoh, Peipei
    Background The cultural normativeness theory posits that specific parenting behaviors can be interpreted as displays of appropriate parenting in contexts where they are deemed normative. Previous studies suggest high acceptance of physical discipline in Singapore, where strict parenting could be interpreted as care for the child. However, there is a lack of studies on the local prevalence and implications of physical discipline. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of Singaporean children experiencing parental physical discipline, longitudinal changes in this prevalence, and how exposure to physical discipline relates to children’s evaluation of their parents’ parenting. Methods Participants were 710 children with parental reports of physical discipline at one or more assessments at ages 4.5, 6, 9, and 11 years in the Growing Up in Singapore Towards healthy Outcomes birth cohort study. Parental reports of physical discipline were obtained using the Parenting Styles and Dimensions Questionnaire or the Alabama Parenting Questionnaire across the four assessments. Child reports of their parents’ care and control were obtained using the Parental Bonding Instrument for Children at the age 9 assessment. Prevalence was specified as being exposed to at least one physical discipline at any frequency. A generalized linear mixed model was performed to examine whether children’s age predicted their exposure to physical discipline. Linear regression analyses were conducted to investigate whether children’s exposure to physical discipline predicted their evaluation of their parents’ parenting. Results The prevalence of children experiencing at least one physical discipline was above 80% at all ages. There was a decrease in this prevalence from age 4.5 to 11 years (B = − 0.14, SE = 0.01, OR = 0.87, p < 0.001). The more frequent the paternal physical discipline children were exposed to, the more likely they were to report lower levels of care (B = − 1.74, SE = 0.66, p = 0.03) and higher levels of denial of psychological autonomy by fathers (B = 1.05, SE = 0.45, p = 0.04). Maternal physical discipline was not significantly associated with children’s evaluation of their mothers’ parenting (ps ≥ 0.53). Conclusions Physical discipline was a common experience among our Singaporean sample, consistent with the notion that strict parenting could be regarded as a form of care. However, exposure to physical discipline did not translate to children reporting their parents as caring, with paternal physical discipline being negatively associated with children’s evaluations of paternal care.
    Scopus© Citations 4  54  334
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    Open Access
    Variation in maternal sensitivity and the development of memory biases in preschoolers.
    (Frontiers, 2023)
    Rifkin-Graboi, Anne 
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    Tsotsi, Stella
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    Nadhrah Syazwana
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    Stephenson, Mary C.
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    Sim, Lit Wee
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    Lee, Kerry

    Introduction: Links between maternal sensitivity, hippocampal development, and memory abilities suggests early life insensitive care may shape structures and schemas influencing future decisions and stress management, biasing children to negative information. While it is possible that this pattern of neurodevelopment may have adaptive consequences, for example, preventing children from encountering untoward experience with future adversity, it may also leave some children at risk for the development of internalizing problems.

    Methods: Here, in a Two Wave Study, we examine whether insensitive care predicts sub sequentially assessed memory biases for threatening (but not happy) stimuli in preschoolers (n = 49), and if such relations cut across different forms of relational memory, i.e., memory for relations between two “items,” between an “item” and its spatial location, and an “item” and its temporal sequence. In a subset (n = 18) we also examine links between caregiving, memory, and hippocampal subregion volume.

    Results: Results indicate no main or interactive influence of gender on relational memory. However, insensitive caregiving predicted the difference between Angry and Happy memory during the Item-Space condition (B = 2.451, se = 0.969, p = 0.014, 95% CI (0.572, 4.340)], as well as memory for Angry (but not Happy) items [B = −2.203, se = 0.551, p < 0.001, 95% CI (−3.264,−1.094)]. Memory for the difference between Angry and Happy stimuli in the Space condition associated with larger right hippocampal body volumes (Rho = 0.639, p = 0.004). No relations were observed with internalizing problems.

    Discussion: Results are discussed with reference to developmental stage and in consideration of whether negative biases may serve as an intermediate factor linking early life insensitive care and later socioemotional problems including an increased incidence of internalizing disorders.

    WOS© Citations 1Scopus© Citations 2  98  173
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    Maternal distress and parenting during COVID-19: Differential effects related to pre-pandemic distress?
    (BioMed Central, 2023)
    Low, Ann
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    Yu, Yue
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    Sim, Lit Wee
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    Bureau, Jean Francois
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    Tan, Ngiap Chuan
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    Chen, Helen Yu
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    Yang, Yang
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    Cheon, Bobby
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    Lee, Kerry
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    Bakermans-Kranenburg, Marian
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    Tsotsi, Stella
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    Rifkin-Graboi, Anne 
    Background Distinguishing whether and how pre-existing characteristics impact maternal responses to adversity is difficult: Does prior well-being decrease the likelihood of encountering stressful experiences? Does it protect against adversity’s negative effects? We examine whether the interaction between relatively uniformly experienced adversity (due to COVID-19 experience) and individual variation in pre-existing (i.e., pre-pandemic onset) distress predicted mothers’ pandemic levels of distress and insensitive caregiving within a country reporting low COVID-19 death rates, and strict nationwide regulations. Method Fifty-one Singaporean mothers and their preschool-aged children provided data across two waves. Pre- pandemic onset maternal distress (i.e., psychological distress, anxiety, and parenting stress) was captured via self-reports and maternal sensitivity was coded from videos. Measures were repeated after the pandemic’s onset along with questionnaires concerning perceived COVID-19 adversity (e.g., COVID-19’s impact upon stress caring for children, housework, job demands, etc.) and pandemic-related objective experiences (e.g., income, COVID-19 diagnoses, etc.). Regression analyses (SPSS v28) considered pre-pandemic onset maternal distress, COVID-19 stress, and their interaction upon post-pandemic onset maternal distress. Models were re-run with appropriate covariates (e.g., objective experience) when significant findings were observed. To rule out alternative models, follow up analyses (PROCESS Model) considered whether COVID-19 stress mediated pre- and post-pandemic onset associations. Models involving maternal sensitivity followed a similar data analytic plan. Results Pre-pandemic maternal distress moderated the association between COVID-19 perceived stress and pandemic levels of maternal distress (β = 0.22, p < 0.01) but not pandemic assessed maternal sensitivity. Perceived COVID-19 stress significantly contributed to post-pandemic onset maternal distress for mothers with pre-pandemic onset distress scores above (β = 0.30, p = 0.05), but not below (β = 0.25, p = 0.24), the median. Objective COVID-19 adversity did not account for findings. Post-hoc analyses did not suggest mediation via COVID-19 stress from pre-pandemic to pandemic maternal distress. Conclusions Pre-existing risk may interact with subsequent perceptions of adversity to impact well-being. In combination with existing research, this small study suggests prevention programs should focus upon managing concurrent mental health and may highlight the importance of enhanced screening and proactive coping programs for people entering high stress fields and/or phases of life.
    WOS© Citations 1Scopus© Citations 2  38
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    Neonatal nucleus accumbens microstructure modulates individual susceptibility to preconception maternal stress in relation to externalizing behaviors
    (Elsevier, 2024)
    Chan, Shi Yu
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    Low, Xi Zhen
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    Ngoh, Zhen Ming
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    Ong, Zi Yan
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    Kee, Michelle Z. L.
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    Huang, Pei
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    Shivaram Kumar
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    Rifkin-Graboi, Anne 
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    Chong, Yap-Seng
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    Chen, Helen
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    Tan, Kok Hian
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    Chan, Jerry K.Y.
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    Frontier, Marielle V.
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    Gluckman, Peter D.
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    Zhou, Juan H.
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    Meaney, Michael J.
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    Tan, Ai Peng

    Objective
    Maternal stress influences in utero brain development and is a modifiable risk factor for offspring psychopathologies. Reward circuitry dysfunction underlies various internalizing and externalizing psychopathologies. This study examined (1) the association between maternal stress and microstructural characteristics of the neonatal nucleus accumbens (NAcc), a major node of the reward circuitry, and (2) whether neonatal NAcc microstructure modulates individual susceptibility to maternal stress in relation to childhood behavioral problems.
    Method
    K-means longitudinal cluster analysis was performed to determine trajectories of maternal stress measures (Perceived Stress Scale [PSS], hair cortisol) from preconception to the third trimester. Neonatal NAcc microstructural measures (orientation density index [ODI] and intracellular volume fraction [ICVF]) were compared across trajectories. We then examined the interaction between maternal stress and neonatal NAcc microstructure on child internalizing and externalizing behaviors, assessed between ages 3 and 4 years.
    Results
    Two trajectories of maternal stress magnitude (“low”/“high”) were identified for both PSS (n = 287) and hair cortisol (n = 336). Right neonatal NAcc ODI (rNAcc-ODI) was significantly lower in “low” relative to “high” PSS trajectories (n = 77, p = .04). PSS at preconception had the strongest association with rNAcc-ODI (r = 0.293, p = .029). No differences in NAcc microstructure were found between hair cortisol trajectories. A significant interaction between preconception PSS and rNAcc-ODI on externalizing behavior was observed (n = 47, p = .047).
    Conclusion
    Our study showed that the preconception period contributes to in utero NAcc development, and that NAcc microstructure modulates individual susceptibility to preconception maternal stress in relation to externalizing problems.

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    Introduction to early childhood development and research in Singapore
    (Springer, 2022)
    Tan, Oon Seng 
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    Poon, Kenneth K. 
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    O'Brien, Beth A. 
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    Rifkin-Graboi, Anne 
    Education and well-being care are important throughout life, but especially so during early childhood, a time characterized by profound neural change. Importantly, early life experiences and neurodevelopment, in turn, lay the foundation for the subsequent ways in which neurodevelopment unfolds. As neurodevelopment is influenced by both genetic and environmental factors, it is not surprising that the quality of early childhood experiences has been found to have short- and long-term impacts upon individuals and society. For example, early environments characterized by relative responsiveness from caregivers (Fraley et al., 2013; Raby et al., 2015) may lead to academic and/or social competence even into adulthood. On the other hand, early childhood experiences with poverty and/or low socioeconomic status, exposure to parental mental health difficulties, forms of insecure attachment, and abuse or trauma have been linked to outcomes such as lower levels of school readiness, attentional problems, and/or difficulties in socioemotional development (e.g., Psychogiou et al., 2020; Fearon & Belsky, 2004; Dearing et al., 2001; Enlow et al., 2012).
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    The importance of positive environments on infant and early childhood neurodevelopment: A review and preview of upcoming, "BE POSITIVE," research
    (Springer, 2022)
    Rifkin-Graboi, Anne 
    Why do our brains change so much in early life? Why do they continue to develop over time? What are the implications of prolonged neural plasticity for interventions, learning, and childhood well-being? Humans live among ever-changing circumstances and therefore require extensive neurocircuitry supporting abilities to learn, regulate, and respond to information throughout life. Nevertheless, biological plasticity is energetically costly, and so it may be advantageous for infants to take a “best guess” at the type of environment in which they will likely be raised. Will it be dangerous? Will it be filled with unpredictability and a lack of control? Or, will it be comprised of support, certainty, and access to resources? These are important questions: different skills are necessary to succeed in different types of environments. In this chapter, we will consider how brain development unfolds, especially in early life. We will ask, why, from a biological standpoint, early experience impacts developmental trajectories. Next, we will specifically consider effects of the caregiving environment upon neurodevelopment and related implications for individual differences at school age. Gaps in the knowledge base, especially with regard to how such relationships unfold outside of low-risk North American and European homes and school systems, will be highlighted. The reader will learn about a new collaborative Singaporean study, “BE POSITIVE,” that aims to address these gaps starting in children 4 months to 4 years. Finally, we will consider ways such research can be applied to shaping interventions and policies aimed at increasing educational success and well-being.
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    Associations between infant screen use, electroencephalography markers, and cognitive outcomes
    (American Medical Association, 2023)
    Law, Evelyn C.
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    Han, Meredith X.
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    Lai, Zhuoyuan
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    Lim, Shuping
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    Ong, Zi Yan
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    Ng, Valerie
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    Gabard-Durnam, Laurel J.
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    Wilkinson, Carol L.
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    Levin, April R.
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    Rifkin-Graboi, Anne 
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    Daniel, Lourdes Mary
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    Gluckman, Peter D.
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    Chong, Yap Seng
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    Meaney, Michael J.
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    Nelson, Charles A.
    WOS© Citations 10Scopus© Citations 23  127
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    Nutrient trajectories during infancy and their associations with childhood neurodevelopment
    (Springer, 2023)
    Toh, Jia Ying
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    Cai, Shirong
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    Lim, Shan Xuan
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    Pang, Wei Wei
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    Godfrey, Keith M.
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    Shek, Lynette Pei-Chi
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    Tan, Kok Hian
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    Yap, Fabian
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    Lee, Yung Seng
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    Chong, Yap Seng
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    Eriksson, Johan Gunnar
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    Broekman, Birit F. P.
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    Rifkin-Graboi, Anne 
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    Chong, Mary F. F.
    Purpose To examine the associations between infants’ dietary nutrient trajectories and subsequent neurodevelopment during childhood in the Growing Up in Singapore Towards healthy Outcomes study. Methods One-day food records were collected at ages 6, 9 and 12 months, whilst Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development-III and Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test-2 were conducted at ages 24 and 54 months respectively. Nutrient trajectories were constructed using multi-level mixed modelling and associations with neurodevelopment (24 months: n = 484; 54 months: n = 444) were examined using adjusted multivariable linear regression. Results At age 24 months, higher protein intake (at 6 months) and increasing rate of intake (from 6 to 12 months) were associated with higher fine motor score [β = 0.17 SD (95% CI 0.03, 0.31) and 0.62 SD (0.10, 1.14) respectively]. Higher fat intake was associated with higher receptive language score [0.04 SD (0.003, 0.07)], but increasing rate of intake was associated with lower expressive language [− 0.20 SD (− 0.39, − 0.01)] and fine motor [− 0.29 SD (− 0.48, − 0.10)] scores. Higher carbohydrate intake was associated with lower gross motor score [− 0.07 SD (− 0.14, − 0.005)], but increasing rate of intake was associated with higher receptive language [0.44 SD (0.08, 0.81)] and fine motor [0.56 SD (0.18, 0.93)] scores. Increasing rate of dietary fibre intake was associated with higher fine motor scores [0.63 SD (0.16, 1.10)]. No significant associations were observed with neurodevelopment at 54 months. Conclusion Our findings provide greater understanding of how nutrition over time could have varying effects on child neurodevelopment.
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    Domain specificity of mastery-motivation-related behaviours in relation to Singaporean preschoolers’ mathematical performance
    (Springer, 2024)
    Lee, Tiffany Yanyi
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    Sim, Lit Wee
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    Mohamed Syukri Mohamed Anwar
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    Cheung, Pierina 
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    Lee, Kerry
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    Ansari, Daniel
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    Esposito, Gianluca
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    Rifkin-Graboi, Anne 
    Mastery motivation predicts achievement, but intricacies amongst pre-schoolers are unclear. In keeping with the Specificity Principle, school-age, and adolescent research demonstrates the importance of considering the setting conditions in which mastery motivation is observed. Here, Singaporean 4-year-olds’ (N = 63) mastery-motivation-related behaviour (MMRB) (e.g. signs of persistence, focus, and pleasure) in mathematical and non-mathematical activities were observed. Relations between numeracy and MMRB during a mathematical game (outcome relevant setting) were determined, controlling for MMRB in other activities (outcome irrelevant settings). Association between MMRB during the mathematical game and receptive language (outcome irrelevant setting) was also examined. Consistent with the Specificity Principle, MMRB during the mathematical game was (i) associated with numeracy, after controlling for MMRB in other activities and (ii) did not predict language. Enhancing preschoolers’ experiences, especially when implemented in contexts related to areas targeted for improvement, may benefit outcomes. These skills acquired in early life can become important predictors of future ability.
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    Left lateralization of neonatal caudate microstructure affects emerging language development at 24 months
    (Wiley, 2021)
    Tan, Ai Peng
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    Ngoh, Zhen Ming
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    Yeo, Shayne Siok Peng
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    Koh, Dawn Xin Ping
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    Gluckman, Peter D.
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    Chong, Yap Seng
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    Daniel, Lourdes Mary
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    Rifkin-Graboi, Anne 
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    Fortier, Marielle V.
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    Qiu, Anqi
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    Meaney, Michael J.
    The complex interaction between brain and behaviour in language disorder is well established. Yet to date, the imaging literature in the language disorder field has continued to pursue heterogeneous and relatively small clinical cross-sectional samples, with emphasis on cortical structures and volumetric analyses of subcortical brain structures. In our current work, we aimed to go beyond this state of knowledge to focus on the microstructural features of subcortical brain structures (specifically the caudate nucleus) in a large cohort of neonates and study its association with emerging language skills at 24 months. Variations in neonatal brain microstructure could be interpreted as a proxy for in utero brain development. As language development is highly dependent on cognitive function and home literacy environment, we also examined their effect on the caudate–language function relationship utilizing a conditional process model. Our findings suggest that emerging language development at 24 months is influenced by the degree of left lateralization of neonatal caudate microstructure, indexed by diffusion tensor imaging (DTI)-derived fractional anisotropy (FA). FA is an indirect measure of neuronal and dendritic density within grey matter structures. We also found that the caudate–language function relationship is partially mediated by cognitive function. The conditional indirect effect of left caudate FA on language composite score through cognitive function was only statistically significant at low levels of home literacy score (−1 standard deviation [SD]). The authors proposed that this may be related to ‘compensatory’ development of cognitive skills in less favourable home literacy environments.
    WOS© Citations 2Scopus© Citations 4  63