New Research on Parents Presented by Erikson Professor Seulki Ku

Dr. Seulki Ku, an Assistant Professor at Erikson Institute, presented her research, “Exploring Rural Low-Income Paternal Resilience that Promotes the Development of Executive Function in Early Childhood,” at the Biennial Meeting of the International Society for the Study of Behavioural Development (ISSBD) in Lisbon, Portugal, on June 19, 2024.

Supported by Erikson’s Faculty Innovation Fund 2023-24, this study also included contributions from Becca Gregory, a doctoral student, as a coauthor. The research identified distinct groups of rural low-income fathers (50% Black fathers) and examined their experiences across various domains, including socioeconomic status, mental health, intimate relationships, social support and work experiences.

Dr. Ku’s findings revealed that positive father-child interactions among mentally healthy fathers could compensate for the adverse effects of poverty and related risks on preschool-age children’s executive function development.

This study emphasizes the critical role of paternal psychological health, such as low levels of depression and anxiety, in serving as a resilience factor that promotes young children’s self-regulation development.

In addition, Dr. Ku presented another work titled “Maternal Depression and Early Childhood Socio-Emotional and Cognitive Growth: Bidirectional Dynamics Using Latent Change Score Analysis,” focusing on rural low-income mothers and their preschoolers.

The findings from the two studies offer insights for supporting families with low income, underscoring the importance of paternal and maternal mental health in fostering positive developmental outcomes in children.