title: Toddlers' context-varying emotions, maternal responses to emotions, and internalizing behaviors.
abstract: Relations of toddlers' observed negative affect in high- and low-threat contexts to maternal perceptions of their toddlers' internalizing problems and to mothers' responses to emotions (RTE) for fear and sadness were examined. Child-driven, parent-driven, and reciprocal transactional models across 1 year were directly compared. Two-year-old toddlers (N = 106) participated in lab-based activities to elicit distress, and their negative affect was coded. Mothers completed measures of their child's internalizing behaviors and their responses to their toddler's fear and sadness at ages 2 and 3. At age 2, only negative affect in low-threat contexts was associated with greater internalizing problems. Mothers' punishing and minimizing RTE at age 2 predicted an increase in internalizing problems across 1 year. Age 2 internalizing problems predicted an increase in mother's use of supportive RTE over time. Results highlight the importance of considering the context of toddlers' negative affective displays and supported a reciprocal conceptualization of toddlers' internalizing behaviors and mothers' RTE.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Miami University., FL, USA. LuebbeA2@muohio.edu
authors.forename: Aaron M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Luebbe
authors.forename: Elizabeth J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Kiel
authors.forename: Kristin A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Buss
mesh_terms: D000339:Affect; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology; D004644:Emotions; D005239:Fear / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology; D002666:Psychology, Child; D012938:Social Perception