Family Interaction Training: Supporting the Parent–Child Relationship to Foster Strong Peer Relations During Early Childhood

Early childhood is a period of rapid development in children's capacity to regulate emotions, communicate their needs, manage disagreements, and establish relationships with peers. Although these skills are expressed in classrooms and other social settings, they develop partly through children's earliest interactions with parents and caregivers. The quality of these relationships may influence not only how children function within the family but also how they approach friendships, cooperation, and conflict outside the home.

In the MRI-funded project Family Interaction Training: Supporting the Parent–Child Relationship to Foster Strong Peer Relations During Early Childhood, Dr. Jamie Ostrov (University at Buffalo, The State University of New York) examines whether strengthening parent–child interactions through a structured parenting intervention can improve children's social and emotional functioning in preschool settings. The study evaluates Family Interaction Training (FIT), an evidence-informed program designed to promote positive parenting practices and reduce challenging behaviors, while investigating whether changes within the family extend to children's relationships with peers.

The project is grounded in the spillover hypothesis, which proposes that experiences within one relational system can influence functioning in another. Patterns of communication, emotional responsiveness, and conflict management developed within parent–child relationships may shape how children respond to social challenges with classmates. Supportive and predictable family interactions may provide opportunities to develop emotional regulation and cooperation, whereas persistent relational difficulties may contribute to behavioral challenges across settings.

Much of the intervention research addressing early childhood aggression and peer difficulties has focused on children's behavior within educational environments. Dr. Ostrov's project examines a complementary approach: whether intervening in the parent–child relationship can influence children's social experiences at school. Rather than treating family and peer relationships as separate developmental contexts, the study investigates the processes through which changes in one may be associated with changes in the other.

FIT was developed through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Association of University Centers on Disabilities, drawing on components of established parenting interventions. The program emphasizes three related practices: strengthening positive parent–child relationships through attentive and responsive caregiving, providing clear directions and predictable expectations, and using consistent, logical consequences when addressing challenging behavior.

These strategies are intended to support caregivers in responding constructively to children's needs while creating relational conditions that encourage emotional and behavioral regulation. Rather than focusing exclusively on reducing unwanted behavior, FIT places attention on the quality of everyday interactions through which children experience support, structure, and responsiveness.

Previous evaluations of FIT suggest that the program may improve adults' knowledge of behavioral strategies and behavior change as reported by clinicians. However, less is known about whether these changes translate into improvements in parent–child relationship quality or children's social functioning beyond the family. The MRI-funded study addresses this question by examining outcomes in both home and preschool contexts.

The project uses a preliminary randomized controlled trial involving approximately 80 children between three and four years of age and their parents, recruited from four Head Start classrooms in Buffalo, New York. Classrooms will be assigned to receive FIT at different times, allowing the researchers to compare outcomes between families who receive the intervention initially and those assigned to a delayed-intervention condition.

Parents in the intervention group will participate in three live training sessions lasting approximately 60 to 75 minutes each. Sessions will incorporate FIT instructional videos and structured materials addressing positive parent–child interactions, effective communication, predictable expectations, and responses to challenging behavior. Families in the comparison group will receive the program following the initial evaluation period.

The researchers will collect pre- and post-intervention assessments from both parents and teachers. Parent reports will examine knowledge of parenting strategies and dimensions of the parent–child relationship, including warmth, validation, caring, and conflict. These measures will help determine whether participation in FIT is associated with changes in the relational environment at home.

Teacher assessments will provide a complementary perspective on children's social functioning in the classroom. Outcomes will include physical and relational aggression, peer victimization, prosocial behavior, and other social-emotional characteristics. Relational aggression includes behaviors such as social exclusion or attempts to damage peer relationships, while prosocial behavior encompasses cooperation, helping, and sharing.

Collecting information across these two settings is central to the study's interactional perspective. The researchers will examine whether changes in parenting practices and parent–child relationship quality correspond with changes in children's peer interactions. In doing so, the project considers children's social behavior not simply as an individual characteristic, but as part of a developmental process shaped by experiences across multiple relationships.

The study will also assess the feasibility and acceptability of delivering FIT within a Head Start setting, including parents' engagement with the program and the consistency with which it is implemented. As a preliminary trial, the project is intended to provide initial evidence and inform the design of a larger randomized study rather than establish definitive conclusions about intervention effectiveness.

If findings support the proposed associations, future research may help clarify whether strengthening parent–child relationships offers a pathway for reducing early aggression and supporting healthier peer relationships. The project may also contribute to the development of family-centered prevention approaches that complement interventions delivered directly within classrooms.

By examining how changes in parent–child interactions may extend into children's relationships with peers, this MRI-funded project advances a systemic understanding of early social development. It recognizes that children's capacities for cooperation, emotional regulation, and conflict management emerge within interconnected relational environments—and that supporting one important relationship may influence how children engage in others.