Poster #87 - Examining Reports of Parental Involvement, Marital Satisfaction, and Infant Temperamental Anger From a Multi-Reporter Perspective

• In Event: Poster Session 08

Abstract

Parent-child interactions play a critical role in the development of infants. Parental involvement has been found to consistently relate to infant socioemotional development (Rosenblum et al., 2009) with infants with more involved parents expressing less negative affect (Kotila et al., 2014). However, most studies have examined self-report of parental involvement, which might be biased (Charles et al., 2018). The few studies that have examined opposite parent reports of involvement have found that mothers consistently report lower father involvement than fathers report (Charles et al., 2018; Mikelson, 2008). However, some of this discrepancy might be due to relationship quality. For example, higher marital satisfaction is associated with similar reports of involvement (Charles et al., 2018; Mikelson, 2008). Although temperament is largely biologically based, evidence suggests that social interactions can shape temperament (Rothbart & Bates, 2006). Specifically, previous research has found associations between father involvement, marital satisfaction, and infant temperament (Mehall et al., 2009). However, studies have not examined these associations beyond self-report measures (Mehall et al., 2009; Planalp et al., 2013). This study aims to examine the associations between mothers’ and fathers’ parental involvement, marital satisfaction, and infant temperamental anger using a multi-reporter perspective (mother-report, father-report, and observational ratings).

Families consisting of a mother, father, and infant participated in a larger longitudinal study examining social and emotional development throughout infancy (4, 6, and 8 months). Each parent rated their own and their partners’ involvement in childcare activities using the Child Care Activity Scale (CCAS; Cronenwett et al., 1988). To assess marital satisfaction, parents completed the Shortened Marital Adjustment Scale (SMAT; Locke & Wallace, 1959). Infants participated in two laboratory situations to elicit anger/frustration (Laboratory Temperament Assessment Battery, Lab-TAB, modified gentle arm restraint; Goldsmith & Rothbart, 1999; Stifter & Spinrad, 2002; Still-Face Paradigm; Tronick et al., 1978). Infant negative affect was rated by trained coders using an established coding scheme (Braungart-Rieker et al., 1998). Higher scores reflect increased infant negative affect.

Preliminary analyses using a portion of the dataset (n=66) revealed a few significant correlations between parent marital satisfaction and involvement. For mothers, marital satisfaction was negatively correlated with her own report of play (r= -.248, p=.045) and indirect care (r= -.347, p=.005), but positively correlated with her report of father play (r= .344, p=.005). For fathers, no significant correlations were found. Correlations between parental reports of the other parent revealed moderate correlations between mothers and fathers on mother indirect care (r=.567, p<.001), father indirect care (r=.604, p<.001), father play r=.458, p<.001), and marital satisfaction (r= .528, p<.001). Preliminary multiple regression analyses revealed no significant effects between marital satisfaction, involvement, and infant anger during the gentle arm restraint. Subsequent multiple regression models will include additional participants as well as additional regression models including reports of parent marital satisfaction, the opposite parent’s involvement, and infant frustration during the Still-Face Paradigm.

Authors

• Logan Rios, Western Kentucky University
  Presenting Author

• Diane M Lickenbrock, Western Kentucky University

• Alyssa Swift, Western Kentucky University