Primrose Letcher
Biographic Data
| ID | 5862255 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Primrose Letcher |
| GIVEN NAMES | Primrose |
| FAMILY NAME | Letcher |
| SIGNATURE | LETCHER P |
| AFFILIATIONS | Royal Children's Hospital |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-5032-3911 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 26 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 14 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 26 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2008 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 2 |
Population Perspectives on Nurturing Relational Health from Early Life
Opportunities to Improve the Implementation of Relational Health Interventions for Children and Families
Despite the availability of universally delivered evidence-based relational health interventions, their wide-scale translation into practice is slow and unsustained. Measuring implementation outcomes within intervention trials is critical to understand their effectiveness and inform future scaling. This study aimed to determine the extent to which universally delivered relational health interventions measured and reported on implementation outcom…
Mapping What Works to Strengthen the Relational Ecology of Early Child Development
The development of secure bonds between children and adult carers, particularly parents, is determined by a complex ecosystem of relationships that includes parents, care providers in other settings, and the values and institutions that care for those who care for children. Here we conduct a scoping review to map scientific progress in the development of evidence based interventions across all levels of relational ecology of early child developme…
The association between parent–child and peer relationship quality in adolescence and intimate partner relationship quality in young adulthood
Adolescent experiences in close relationships play a seminal role in social–emotional development across the lifespan. Here, we examine the unique and combined effects of parent–child and peer relationship quality in adolescence (age 11–13 years) in shaping intimate partner relationship quality in young adulthood (age 19–28 years). Prospective data were from the Australian Temperament Project ( n = 1117) and the TRacking Adolescents' Individual L…
Preconception risk and promotive factors of postpartum social support
Social support is a vital resource for parents raising young children. Yet, little is known about the developmental histories of parents that may compromise or strengthen social support in early parenthood. We explored the extent to which parents' perceived social support at 1 year postpartum could be predicted by factors from well before parenthood, assessed across 10 waves of data collected in their childhoods, adolescence, and young adulthoods…
The role of childhood illness in shaping relationships through to young adulthood
Objective To explore how those with a physical illness in childhood are managing in relationships across childhood to young adulthood.Methods On transition to primary school parents were asked about their child’s physical health (n = 1895). Childhood health problems were classified using the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) framework. Relational health was assessed using parent and self-reported measures.Results A total of 1347 parents reported the…
Adolescent School Belonging and Substance Use in Young Adulthood
Multilevel Impacts of the Covid-19 Pandemic
Life course predictors of child emotional distress during the Covid ‐19 pandemic
BACKGROUND: We examine precursors of child emotional distress during the COVID-19 pandemic in a prospective intergenerational Australian cohort study. METHODS: Parents (N = 549, 60% mothers) of 934 1-9-year-old children completed a COVID-19 specific module in 2020 and/or 2021. Decades prior, a broad range of individual, relational and contextual factors were assessed during parents' own childhood, adolescence and young adulthood (7-8 to 27-28 yea…
Infant and preschool attachment, continuity and relationship to caregiving sensitivity
BACKGROUND: Here, we report new prevalence and temporal stability data for child attachment and parental caregiving behaviour, from infancy (1 year) to preschool (4 years). METHODS: Attachment (SSP) and caregiving data (MBQS) were from observations of parents and their infants and preschoolers, who represent the third generation of participants within an Australian longitudinal cohort. RESULTS: At 1 year (n = 314 dyads) and at 4 years (n = 368 dy…
The lived experience of stress for parents in the context of Covid ‐19–related disruption
Is Neighborhood Nature an Ecological Precursor of Parenting Practices, Infant-Parent Bonding, and Infant Socioemotional Function
Nurturing relationships are crucial for adaptive child development. The objectives of the study were to investigate whether nature availability was associated with early nurturing parenting practices, mother-infant bonding, and infant socioemotional function. Data were from the Australian Temperament Project ( n = 809 infants to 515 parents residing in Victoria, Australia) and were linked cross-sectionally to residential greenness (i.e., Normaliz…
Parental history of positive development and child behavior in next generation offspring
This study examined whether positive development (PD) in adolescence and young adulthood predicts offspring behavior in two Australasian intergenerational cohorts. The Australian Temperament Project Generation 3 Study assessed PD at age 19–28 (years 2002–2010) and behavior in 1165 infants (12–18 months; 608 girls) of 694 Australian-born parents (age 29–35; 2012–2019; 399 mothers). The Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Parenting Stu…
Factor structure of the Mini‐Maternal Behavior Q‐Sort and associations with infant attachment
We examined the factor structure of parental sensitivity to infants as assessed by the Mini‐Maternal Behavior Q‐Sort (Mini‐MBQS), a 25‐item short‐form of the original 90‐item MBQS. We aimed to: (1) identify latent factors of the Mini‐MBQS; and (2) validate each factor by testing associations with infant attachment classifications. Data on parent‐infant dyads ( n = 313; 222 mothers with 281 children, 29 fathers with 32 children) were drawn from a …
Illicit Substance Use and Harm in Young Adulthood
The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11469-023-01181-0
Eating and Body Image Disturbances in Adolescence and Substance Use Throughout Young Adulthood
We investigated whether eating and body image disturbances in mid-adolescence were associated with substance use in young adulthood. Participants ( n = 1566) completed the drive for thinness, bulimic behavior, and body dissatisfaction subscales from the Eating Disorder Inventory during adolescence (15–16 years), and reported frequencies of substance use (tobacco, cannabis, binge drinking, other illicit substances) across young adulthood (19–20, 2…
Parenting orientations in young adulthood
Most but not all adults become parents, yet it remains unclear which characteristics indicate an orientation toward parenting. The aims of this study were to (a) distinguish profiles of individual and interpersonal resources in young adults that may orient them toward parenthood and (b) investigate whether profiles predicted timing of entering parenthood, postpartum parenting behavior, and parent-infant bonding. Participants were 1,429 young peop…
Childhood disadvantage and adolescent socioemotional wellbeing as predictors of future parenting behaviour
INTRODUCTION: In extending work on early life antecedents of parenting, we investigate associations between childhood family history of disadvantage, adolescent socioemotional wellbeing, and age at first parenthood and subsequent parenting behaviour. METHODS: Parent-child interactions were recorded when participants in the longitudinal Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study (New Zealand) had a three-year-old child. Data were avail…
Preparing for Future Adversities
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has placed considerable pressure on families, testing the quality of relationships and the strength of social support within and beyond the family network. However, little is known about the pre-pandemic factors that predict family relational resilience and social functioning during times of natural disaster or global crisis. Here we use data from one of Australia's longest running studies of social and emotional…
Supporting the dying and bereaved during Covid-19
Objective: To reflect on the experiences of loss and grief during the COVID-19 pandemic. The world is united in grief with COVID-19 now the leading cause of death globally (close to 4 million by mid-2021), with public health approaches to containment having widespread social and economic impacts. COVID-19 has not only changed how we live but also how we die; complicating the dying process for those with the disease, as well as those dying from ot…
Maternal and paternal depression and anxiety and offspring infant negative affectivity
The Structural Stability of Positive Development Across Young Adulthood
The purpose of this study was to examine the structural stability of positive development across the 20s using data from one of Australia’s oldest population-based studies of social–emotional development. Positive development was indicated by civic action and engagement, trust and tolerance of others, trust in authorities and organizations, social competence, and life satisfaction. Results extend an earlier published model spanning 19–20 and 23–2…
The effect of low parental warmth and low monitoring on disordered eating in mid-adolescence
Predictors of Positive Development in Emerging Adulthood
Stability and Change in Positive Development During Young Adulthood
Psychosocial Precursors and Correlates of Differing Internalizing Trajectories from 3 to 15 Years 1
Psychosocial precursors and correlates of parent‐reported internalizing behavior trajectories across the age span of 3–15 years were explored using a community‐based cohort of Australian children. Six internalizing trajectories had previously been identified for both girls (N = 810) and boys (N = 874) in this sample, comprising stable low, high, decreasing, and increasing pathways. Infancy and toddler temperamental traits (inhibition/shyness, irr…
Predictors of Positive Development in Emerging Adulthood
Stability and Change in Positive Development During Young Adulthood
Supporting the dying and bereaved during Covid-19
Objective: To reflect on the experiences of loss and grief during the COVID-19 pandemic. The world is united in grief with COVID-19 now the leading cause of death globally (close to 4 million by mid-2021), with public health approaches to containment having widespread social and economic impacts. COVID-19 has not only changed how we live but also how we die; complicating the dying process for those with the disease, as well as those dying from ot…
The effect of low parental warmth and low monitoring on disordered eating in mid-adolescence
Psychosocial Precursors and Correlates of Differing Internalizing Trajectories from 3 to 15 Years 1
Psychosocial precursors and correlates of parent‐reported internalizing behavior trajectories across the age span of 3–15 years were explored using a community‐based cohort of Australian children. Six internalizing trajectories had previously been identified for both girls (N = 810) and boys (N = 874) in this sample, comprising stable low, high, decreasing, and increasing pathways. Infancy and toddler temperamental traits (inhibition/shyness, irr…
Predictors of Positive Development in Emerging Adulthood
Stability and Change in Positive Development During Young Adulthood
The effect of low parental warmth and low monitoring on disordered eating in mid-adolescence
The Structural Stability of Positive Development Across Young Adulthood
The purpose of this study was to examine the structural stability of positive development across the 20s using data from one of Australia’s oldest population-based studies of social–emotional development. Positive development was indicated by civic action and engagement, trust and tolerance of others, trust in authorities and organizations, social competence, and life satisfaction. Results extend an earlier published model spanning 19–20 and 23–2…
Maternal and paternal depression and anxiety and offspring infant negative affectivity
Childhood disadvantage and adolescent socioemotional wellbeing as predictors of future parenting behaviour
INTRODUCTION: In extending work on early life antecedents of parenting, we investigate associations between childhood family history of disadvantage, adolescent socioemotional wellbeing, and age at first parenthood and subsequent parenting behaviour. METHODS: Parent-child interactions were recorded when participants in the longitudinal Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study (New Zealand) had a three-year-old child. Data were avail…
Preparing for Future Adversities
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has placed considerable pressure on families, testing the quality of relationships and the strength of social support within and beyond the family network. However, little is known about the pre-pandemic factors that predict family relational resilience and social functioning during times of natural disaster or global crisis. Here we use data from one of Australia's longest running studies of social and emotional…
Supporting the dying and bereaved during Covid-19
Objective: To reflect on the experiences of loss and grief during the COVID-19 pandemic. The world is united in grief with COVID-19 now the leading cause of death globally (close to 4 million by mid-2021), with public health approaches to containment having widespread social and economic impacts. COVID-19 has not only changed how we live but also how we die; complicating the dying process for those with the disease, as well as those dying from ot…
Parenting orientations in young adulthood
Most but not all adults become parents, yet it remains unclear which characteristics indicate an orientation toward parenting. The aims of this study were to (a) distinguish profiles of individual and interpersonal resources in young adults that may orient them toward parenthood and (b) investigate whether profiles predicted timing of entering parenthood, postpartum parenting behavior, and parent-infant bonding. Participants were 1,429 young peop…
The lived experience of stress for parents in the context of Covid ‐19–related disruption
Is Neighborhood Nature an Ecological Precursor of Parenting Practices, Infant-Parent Bonding, and Infant Socioemotional Function
Nurturing relationships are crucial for adaptive child development. The objectives of the study were to investigate whether nature availability was associated with early nurturing parenting practices, mother-infant bonding, and infant socioemotional function. Data were from the Australian Temperament Project ( n = 809 infants to 515 parents residing in Victoria, Australia) and were linked cross-sectionally to residential greenness (i.e., Normaliz…
Parental history of positive development and child behavior in next generation offspring
This study examined whether positive development (PD) in adolescence and young adulthood predicts offspring behavior in two Australasian intergenerational cohorts. The Australian Temperament Project Generation 3 Study assessed PD at age 19–28 (years 2002–2010) and behavior in 1165 infants (12–18 months; 608 girls) of 694 Australian-born parents (age 29–35; 2012–2019; 399 mothers). The Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Parenting Stu…
Factor structure of the Mini‐Maternal Behavior Q‐Sort and associations with infant attachment
We examined the factor structure of parental sensitivity to infants as assessed by the Mini‐Maternal Behavior Q‐Sort (Mini‐MBQS), a 25‐item short‐form of the original 90‐item MBQS. We aimed to: (1) identify latent factors of the Mini‐MBQS; and (2) validate each factor by testing associations with infant attachment classifications. Data on parent‐infant dyads ( n = 313; 222 mothers with 281 children, 29 fathers with 32 children) were drawn from a …
Illicit Substance Use and Harm in Young Adulthood
The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11469-023-01181-0
Eating and Body Image Disturbances in Adolescence and Substance Use Throughout Young Adulthood
We investigated whether eating and body image disturbances in mid-adolescence were associated with substance use in young adulthood. Participants ( n = 1566) completed the drive for thinness, bulimic behavior, and body dissatisfaction subscales from the Eating Disorder Inventory during adolescence (15–16 years), and reported frequencies of substance use (tobacco, cannabis, binge drinking, other illicit substances) across young adulthood (19–20, 2…
Multilevel Impacts of the Covid-19 Pandemic
Life course predictors of child emotional distress during the Covid ‐19 pandemic
BACKGROUND: We examine precursors of child emotional distress during the COVID-19 pandemic in a prospective intergenerational Australian cohort study. METHODS: Parents (N = 549, 60% mothers) of 934 1-9-year-old children completed a COVID-19 specific module in 2020 and/or 2021. Decades prior, a broad range of individual, relational and contextual factors were assessed during parents' own childhood, adolescence and young adulthood (7-8 to 27-28 yea…
Infant and preschool attachment, continuity and relationship to caregiving sensitivity
BACKGROUND: Here, we report new prevalence and temporal stability data for child attachment and parental caregiving behaviour, from infancy (1 year) to preschool (4 years). METHODS: Attachment (SSP) and caregiving data (MBQS) were from observations of parents and their infants and preschoolers, who represent the third generation of participants within an Australian longitudinal cohort. RESULTS: At 1 year (n = 314 dyads) and at 4 years (n = 368 dy…
The role of childhood illness in shaping relationships through to young adulthood
Objective To explore how those with a physical illness in childhood are managing in relationships across childhood to young adulthood.Methods On transition to primary school parents were asked about their child’s physical health (n = 1895). Childhood health problems were classified using the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) framework. Relational health was assessed using parent and self-reported measures.Results A total of 1347 parents reported the…
Adolescent School Belonging and Substance Use in Young Adulthood
Population Perspectives on Nurturing Relational Health from Early Life
Opportunities to Improve the Implementation of Relational Health Interventions for Children and Families
Despite the availability of universally delivered evidence-based relational health interventions, their wide-scale translation into practice is slow and unsustained. Measuring implementation outcomes within intervention trials is critical to understand their effectiveness and inform future scaling. This study aimed to determine the extent to which universally delivered relational health interventions measured and reported on implementation outcom…
Mapping What Works to Strengthen the Relational Ecology of Early Child Development
The development of secure bonds between children and adult carers, particularly parents, is determined by a complex ecosystem of relationships that includes parents, care providers in other settings, and the values and institutions that care for those who care for children. Here we conduct a scoping review to map scientific progress in the development of evidence based interventions across all levels of relational ecology of early child developme…
The association between parent–child and peer relationship quality in adolescence and intimate partner relationship quality in young adulthood
Adolescent experiences in close relationships play a seminal role in social–emotional development across the lifespan. Here, we examine the unique and combined effects of parent–child and peer relationship quality in adolescence (age 11–13 years) in shaping intimate partner relationship quality in young adulthood (age 19–28 years). Prospective data were from the Australian Temperament Project ( n = 1117) and the TRacking Adolescents' Individual L…
Psychology (19 works) · Developmental psychology (18 works) · Medicine (14 works) · Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development (12 works) · Social Psychology (12 works) · Clinical Psychology (11 works) · Psychiatry (9 works) · Public health (8 works) · Young adult (8 works) · Maternal Mental Health During Pregnancy and Postpartum (7 works)