SINGAPORE, May 4 — Researchers in Singapore have reportedly launched their largest parenting trial, the Loving Study, to examine how strengthening parenting skills can support children’s behavioural, social, cognitive and physical development.

The study will focus on sensitive caregiving, which refers to parenting approaches where parents respond to their children’s needs in a calm, consistent and supportive way, according to The Straits Times.

The Singapore daily reported that sensitive caregiving has been linked to better behavioural regulation and developmental outcomes in children, with some evidence also suggesting a lower risk of obesity

“In Singapore, we know that some of those challenges (in caregiving) happen more in lower-income groups, and we also know that sensitive caregiving, at least from international work, is a hopefully preventative mechanism to kind of put kids on a better path,” Associate Professor Anne Rifkin-Graboi was quoted as saying.

Rifkin-Graboi, who is from the National University of Singapore Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, reportedly said the study aims to adapt an international programme with strong evidence for the local context, while expanding its impact beyond psychological and cognitive outcomes to include physical health.

Senior Minister of State for National Development Sun Xueling reportedly said the trial will provide robust data to help Singapore identify effective, acceptable and scalable caregiving interventions for families with young children.

The study is set to recruit parents of children aged two to 5.5 from households earning less than S$10,999 (RM34,125) per month or S$3,287 (RM10,198) per person, with participants randomly assigned to one of three groups.

These include a home-based video feedback intervention, locally contextualised video learning, and online education covering topics such as brain development, learning and social relationships in young children.

In the video feedback group, parents are reportedly filmed during activities and later receive individualised feedback to enhance sensitive caregiving.

One activity reportedly involves asking a child to wait before eating snacks, allowing parents to practise “sensitive discipline”, which aims to encourage obedience without being harsh.

According to the report, researchers will assess outcomes through behavioural observations, interviews and lab-based tests measuring children’s executive functioning, physical health and stress levels.