Child temperament moderates effects of parent-child mutuality on self-regulation: a relationship-based path for emotionally negative infants.
This study examined infants' negative emotionality as moderating the effect of parent-child mutually responsive orientation (MRO) on children's self-regulation (n=102). Negative emotionality was observed in anger-eliciting episodes and in interactions with parents at 7 months. MRO was coded in naturalistic interactions at 15 months. Self-regulation was measured at 25 months in effortful control battery and as self-regulated compliance to parental requests and prohibitions. Negative emotionality moderated the effects of mother-child, but not father-child, MRO. Highly negative infants were less self-regulated when they were in unresponsive relationships (low MRO), but more self-regulated when in responsive relationships (high MRO). For infants not prone to negative emotionality, there was no link between MRO and self-regulation. The "regions of significance" analysis supported the differential susceptibility model not the diathesis-stress model.
Department of Psychology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA. sanghagkim@uiowa.edu
Sanghag
S
Kim
Grazyna
G
Kochanska
D000786:Anger / Q000502:physiology*; D019260:Expressed Emotion / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D011581:Psychological Tests; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012927:Social Control, Informal; D013694:Temperament / Q000502:physiology*