Early Home-Based Intervention Supports Behavioral Self-Regulation in Kindergarten Through Cognitive Stimulation in At-Risk Families

A supportive early home environment strengthens behavioral self-regulation (B-SR) in kindergarten children from at-risk families. The current study examined the effect of early home-based Parents as Teachers (PAT) intervention, family resources, and home environment on B-SR in kindergarten children from at-risk families in urban high-income European context. The data stem from 248 children from the longitudinal project ZEPPELIN that implemented an RCT design to foster educational opportunities in families with multiple psychosocial risks (73% migrants). Early childhood family resources (economic, cultural, social) and home environment (cognitive stimulation, warmth/responsiveness, physical environment/routines) were assessed in interviews and observations through the Home Observation for Measurement of the Early Childhood Environment (HOME-EC). B-SR was measured with the Head-Toes-Knees-Shoulders (HTKS) task in the first year of kindergarten (age five). PAT showed an indirect effect on HTKS in kindergarten via cognitive stimulation, while income and maternal education also predicted HTKS. Warmth/responsiveness was neither influenced by PAT nor linked to B-SR. Physical environment/routines trended negatively with HTKS performance. We discuss the implications of the findings for early interventions through developmentally sensitive pathways and highlight meaningful interrelations between broad family resources, home environmental factors, and long-term B-SR outcomes in at-risk families.