2-188 - Longitudinal Parent-Child Behavioral Transactions: Moderation by Family, Mother and Child Characteristics

Session Type: Paper Symposium

Integrative Statement

According to transactional models of parent–child relationships, parent and child behaviors are mutually influential (e.g., Sameroff, 2009). Coercive cycles develop as parents respond to children’s challenging behaviors with increasingly harsh parenting, in turn leading to increased behavior problems (Scaramella & Leve, 2004). Similarly, escalating cycles of positive parent-child interactions promote pro-social development and reduce behavior problems (Eisenberg et al., 2005). Only recently has research considered how parent-child transactions vary systematically across families.

The papers in this symposium examine different moderators of bidirectional associations between observed parenting and child behaviors. Paper 1 considers how family conflict moderates transactions between maternal supportive and negative parenting and children’s engagement and negativity from 14 to 24 to 36 months of age in the Early Head Start Research and Evaluation Project. Paper 2 examines how mothers’ depressive symptoms and child negative reactivity are moderators of bidirectional associations among harsh parenting and children’s externalizing behaviors from 24 to 36 to 48 months in a low-income sample. Paper 3 tests how child temperament profiles moderate links among observed supportive and hostile parenting and children’s externalizing behaviors from 54 months to 15 years in the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development.

Collectively, the papers highlight the complex nature of these transactional associations, and the importance of considering how family, parent and child characteristics shape parent-child interactions across time. A discussant who is an acknowledged expert on longitudinal parent-child relationships will lead a conversation regarding the implications of these findings for future research and intervention.

Sub Unit

• Parenting & Parent-Child Relationships

Chair

• Melissa A. Barnett, University of Arizona

Discussant

• Laura Scaramella, Univ of New Orleans

Individual Presentations

• Family Conflict Moderates Early Parent-Child Behavioral Transactions - Presenting Author: Katherine Paschall, University of Arizona; Jennifer Ann Mortensen, University of Arizona; Henry Gonzalez, University of Arizona; Ann M Mastergeorge, University of Arizona

• Bidirectional Links Among Parenting and Young Children’s Externalizing Behaviors: Moderation by Maternal and Child Characteristics - Presenting Author: Melissa A. Barnett, University of Arizona; Moira Rose Riley, University of New Orleans; Brenna Sapotichne, University of New Orleans; Laura Scaramella, Univ of New Orleans

• The Importance of Early Childhood Temperament and Parenting: Bi-directional Models of Parenting and Child Externalizing Behaviors - Presenting Author: Nicole Fettig, George Mason University; Grace Z. Howarth, George Mason University; Timothy W Curby, George Mason University; Susanne Denham, George Mason University; Naomi Watanabe, George Mason University