Maternal Emotion Socialization and Child Regulation: Within-Interaction Sequences in Early Childhood

• In Event: Emotion Regulation Between 2 and 6 Years – Behavioral Dynamics and Developmental Correlates

Abstract

Parental emotion socialization behaviors showing acceptance of children’s emotions and encouraging children’s emotional expressions related to children’s development of emotion regulation and social competence (Katz et al., 2012; Spinrad et al., 2020). However, the dynamic transactional process of emotion socialization within parent-child interactions is less well-understood. Within interactions, shared positive affect occurred at greater than chance levels for non-depressed mothers and toddlers (Hummel et al., 2016). Toddlers’ expressions of negative emotion were disproportionately unlikely to be followed by parents’ speech, though these expressions were also unlikely to end conversations with their parents (Fields-Olivieri & Cole, 2019, 2022). We extend this recent literature by examining within-interaction transactional sequences of maternal emotion socialization and child regulation in early childhood (ages 3 and 4 years), a period of rapid development in children’s emotional awareness and regulation (Saarni et al., 2006).
Mother-child dyads in the southeastern United States participated when children were age 3 years (N = 194, 52% girls, 48% boys, 75% White, 18% Black, 7% multiracial) and/or age 4 years (N = 205, 49% girls, 51% boys, 76% White, 17% Black, 7% multiracial; 79% had participated as 3-year-olds) as part of a larger longitudinal study. We observed videorecorded mother-child interactions during an etch-a-sketch task that requires dyads to collaborate to produce progressively more challenging shapes (Atzaba-Poria et al., 2014).
One coding team observed maternal encouragement of both positive and negative emotions at 30-second intervals (coding adapted from Dunsmore et al., 2013; ICCweighted = .53–.81). A separate team observed child regulation at the same 30-second intervals (noncompliance, engagement, frustration; coding adapted from Calkins et al., 2004, Smith et al., 2004; ICCs > .80). We conducted two sets of lag-sequential analyses with lag 1 transitions using the Generalized Sequential Querier (GSEQ version 5.1.23; Bakeman & Quera, 2016). First, we tested parent-directed sequences: after presence/absence of maternal emotion encouragement during one interval, how likely were child regulation behaviors in the following interval? Second, we tested child-directed sequences: after presence/absence of child regulation behaviors, how likely was maternal emotion encouragement?
Table 1 shows results. At 3-years, significant bidirectional sequences were found. When mothers encouraged positive emotions, children were subsequently more likely to show compliance, and when children complied, mothers were subsequently more likely to encourage their positive emotion. Similarly, when mothers encouraged negative emotions, children were subsequently more likely to display frustration, and when children showed frustration, mothers were subsequently more likely to encourage negative emotions. At 4-years, parent-directed sequences were found for maternal encouragement of positive emotions for all three child regulation behaviors. After mothers encouraged positive emotions, children were subsequently more likely to show compliance and engagement and less likely to express frustration. No significant child-directed sequences were found. Maternal encouragement of negative emotions was too rare to test most sequences. We will discuss development in early childhood and functions of positive and negative emotions. Results shed light on the intricacy of dynamic emotion socialization transactions within mother-child interactions.

Authors

• Julie C Dunsmore, University of Houston
  Presenting Author

• Danhua Zhu, University of California - Irvine

• Fantasy T. Lozada, Virginia Commonwealth University

• Martha Ann Bell, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University