Sex differences in the interaction between temperament and parenting.
Temperament and parent-child relationships were measured in a random sample of 776 children followed over a 10-year period. The goal was to determine whether temperament evolves differently for boys versus for girls, and if so, whether parenting influences gender-specific development. Gender-specific parenting effects on the evolution of difficult temperament were found: low father-daughter closeness, and high mother-son punishment and control led to an increase in difficult temperament, whereas comparable father-son and mother-daughter effects were not present. A possible explanation for these findings is proposed. The contribution of these findings to understanding biology-environment interactions in causing sex differences in development is discussed.
Bezirganian
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S
Columbia University's School of Public Health, New York, NY 10032.
Cohen
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P
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D012737:Sex Factors; D012931:Social Environment; D013694:Temperament