Poster #213 - Relations Between Maternal Behaviors and Child Behavior Problems Vary by Interactive Context and Child Temperament

• In Event: 1-061 - Poster Session 02
  In Poster Session: PS 02 Section - Social, Emotional, Personality

Integrative Statement

Maternal behaviors in response to infant distress predict later behavior problems (Crockenberg & Leerkes, 2006), however, few studies consider whether effects vary with the type of distress elicited in the child, or how temperamental factors may further moderate these effects. The current study examined maternal behaviors in situations designed to elicit infant anger and fear as predictors of later behavior problems, based on infant temperament. We hypothesized that supportive maternal behaviors would generally predict fewer behavior problems for infants moderate in temperamental approach/inhibition. However, we hypothesized stronger effects for parenting during fear tasks for inhibited infants given their risk for internalizing problems, and stronger effects for parenting during anger tasks for exuberant infants given their risk for externalizing problems (Stifter & Dollar, 2016).

Mothers and their 1-year-old infants (N=208, 49% Caucasian) participated in tasks designed to elicit infant fear (novel person interaction) and infant anger (toy removal). Infant affect, approach, withdrawal, and soothing behavior were coded from immediate reactions to the fear task and subjected to a latent profile analysis yielding typical/moderate (N=161), inhibited (N=30), and exuberant (N=16) temperament groups. Mothers’ task-focused support (e.g., soothing and support while engaging with task stimuli), co-regulatory support (e.g., distraction or soothing not engaged with task stimuli), and unresponsive behavior were coded during interactive portions of each task. At preschool age mothers reported children’s internalizing and externalizing behavior problems using the Child Behavior Checklist. Multiple regression models predicting each behavior problem scale were run separately for maternal behaviors during the fear task and anger task, temperament group, and their interactions, controlling for mother race and education.

Consistent with hypotheses, mothers’ supportive behaviors during the fear task related to fewer internalizing/externalizing problems for the typical group (Figure 1). However, unresponsive behavior during the fear task also related to fewer internalizing/externalizing problems for this group, and anger task behavior did not relate to behavior problems. Contrary to hypotheses, supportive behaviors during the fear task related to more externalizing problems for inhibited infants (Figure 1), whereas all coded behaviors during the anger task related to fewer externalizing problems for this group (Figure 2). These maternal behaviors were unrelated to behavior problems for the exuberant group.

The present results suggest that maternal supportive behaviors during fear tasks are adaptive for infants of moderate temperamental approach/inhibition; however, high levels of these behaviors might constitute poor autonomy-support for inhibited infants. It is possible they reinforce a tendency to rely on maternal assistance that could eventually arouse frustration with mothers’ age-appropriate expectations for independence, and later manifest as aggressive or oppositional responses. Accordingly, supportive responses in situations designed to elicit frustration in the mothers’ presence may help reduce risk for externalizing problems in inhibited infants. Conversely, parenting relevant to risk for behavior problems in exuberant infants might be better captured in other situations, such as tasks that elicit positive affect or that pose greater challenges to behavioral rather than emotional regulation.

Authors

• Mairin Augustine, UNC Chapel Hill
  Presenting Author

• Esther Leerkes, University of North Carolina at Greensboro
  Non-Presenting Author