Poster #139 - Intergenerational transmission of role-confusion: Links with maternal internalizing problems and child adjustment

• In Event: 3-106 - Poster Session 11
  In Poster Session: PS 11 Section - Parenting & Parent-Child Relationships

Integrative Statement

Studies evaluating whether role-confusion carries from one generation to the next are sparse and focused primarily on infancy (Macfie et al., 2015). Additionally, little is known about potential maternal characteristics explaining intergenerational transmission or the impact of maternal role-confusion on children’s adjustment in middle childhood, a time marked by increased autonomy (Kerns & Brumariu, 2016). This study evaluated links between maternal role-confusion with the mother’s parents, role-confusion with her child, maternal internalizing problems (anxiety and depression), and her child’s adjustment (anxiety, depression, and externalizing problems) in middle childhood. We expected that:
1) Maternal emotional role-confusion rather than instrumental role-confusion with her parents would relate to maternal anxiety and depression, and to emotional role-confusion in the mother-child relationship;
2) Maternal anxiety and depression would explain the links between maternal role-confusion with her parents and role-confusion in the mother-child relationship;
3) Maternal emotional role-confusion with her parents and role-confusion in the mother-child dyad would be associated with her child’s adjustment.
Mothers (n=112) completed CECA: Role-Confusion, a semi-structured interview (Bifulco et al., 1994), coded for emotional and instrumental role-confusion with their parents (ICCs = .93, n=67). Mothers reported on two aspects of emotional role-confusion in the relationships with their children: mothers feeling helpless and the child acting as a caregiver (George & Solomon, 2004). Mothers reported their anxious (Spielberger et al., 1983) and depressive symptomatology (Radloff, 1977). Children (Mage = 11.68 years) reported their anxiety and depression (Chorpita et al., 2000) and mothers rated children’s externalizing problems (Goodman, 1999).
To evaluate Hypotheses 1 and 2, we conducted a path analysis (Figure 1). Greater maternal emotional role-confusion with her parents was significantly related to greater maternal anxiety and depression, but no direct associations emerged with mother-child role-confusion. Mothers showing higher anxiety experienced greater maternal helplessness and their children acted less as a caregiver. Mothers with greater depression had children showing more caregiving towards the mothers.
Mediation analyses showed that maternal anxiety explains the relations between maternal emotional role-confusion with her parents and maternal helplessness with her child, and that maternal depression explains the relations between maternal emotional role-confusion with her parents and the child acting as a caregiver towards the mother.
Further, mothers experiencing greater emotional role-confusion with their parents had children showing greater anxiety and depression (Table 1). In contrast, greater maternal helplessness with her child was significantly associated with children’s greater externalizing problems. Mothers with greater anxiety and depression had children with greater externalizing problems.
This study increases our understanding of the intergenerational transmission of role-confusion by identifying specific indirect pathways from maternal emotional role-confusion with her parents to feeling helpless or to her child acting as a caregiver via maternal anxiety or depression. These results also suggest that maternal internalizing problems may create a context for mother-child role-confusion, as the parent may appear vulnerable and in need of help. Novel findings are those showing that maternal emotional role-confusion with her parents and maternal helplessness in the mother-child dyad indicate potential risks for specific types of children’s adjustment difficulties (internalizing versus externalizing).

Authors

• Nicholette Lewis, Adelphi University
  Presenting Author

• Laura E Brumariu, Adelphi University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Joanna Hurley, Adelphi University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Kuma Naadjeley, Adelphi University
  Non-Presenting Author