Strong relationships lead to better social and emotional wellbeing and learning outcomes in Footprints in Time

Abstract

Strong relationships lead to better social and emotional wellbeing and learning outcomes in Footprints in Time: the longitudinal study of Indigenous children. More than 1,000 families and children have been interviewed annually by Aboriginal or Torres Strait interviewers across Australia for Footprints in Time. This presentation will use data from the five waves of Footprints in Time publicly available in 2014. By Wave 5, conducted in 2012, most of the children were at school or pre-school; the older children were around nine years old and the younger children were around 5 years old. Families in the study often report experiencing a large number of stressful life events. Excessive stress can disrupt child development but good relationships can help children can minimise lasting negative effects. Strong relationships and good support from extended family helps Footprints in Time parents and carers maintain their own social and emotional wellbeing and that of their children. The activities parents/carers and family members do with children also improve outcomes for children. Bivariate and multivariate analysis will be used to show how the strong family relationships of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families contribute to parent and child social and emotional wellbeing and improved reading scores for children in the study.