The Effect of Child Negative Emotionality on Mother-Child Relationships: Do Maternal Self-Efficacy Play a Role?

• In Event: Emotions and Parenting

Abstract

Objectives: Attachment literature emphasizes the role of maternal factors in mother-child relationship quality (Ijzendoorn & Bakermans-Kranenburg, 2004). However, there is also evidence showing negative effects of child temperament, more specifically negative/difficult temperament, on the quality of mother-child relationships (Ganiban et al., 2011). Difficult temperament has also been shown to predict lower sense of parental self-efficacy (Gross et al., 1994; Porter & Hsu, 2003). This study aimed at examining the effect of difficult temperament on mother-child relationship quality via the mechanism of parental self-efficacy. In other words, the role of maternal self-efficacy was investigated as a potential mediator in the effect of difficult child temperament on mother-child relationship quality.
Method: Data were collected from 327 mothers of children aged 3-6 years, who resided in Turkey. In addition to demographic information, mother’s perception of child temperament was measured with Children’s Behavior Questionnaire Short Form (Rothbart & Putnam, 2006), maternal depression was measured with Beck Depression Inventory (Beck et al., 1961), maternal self-efficacy was measured with Parental Self-efficacy Scale (Coleman & Karraker, 2000), and the quality of mother-child relationship was measured via Child-Parent Relationship Scale (Pianta, 1992). Following descriptive and exploratory analyses, Multiple Linear Regression, and Sobel Tests (Baron & Kenny, 1986) were conducted towards hypothesis testing. In the mediation models, temperamental characteristics Anger/Frustration, Falling Reactivity/Soothability, Sadness, Fear, and Discomfort were separately tested in five mediation models, using mother-child relationship quality as the dependent variable, and maternal self-efficacy as the mediator variable. In all models, maternal depression was used as a control variable since it has been indicated in the literature as adversely affecting mother-child relationships (Brennan et al., 2003; Radke-Yarrow et al., 1985).
Results: Analyses revealed that difficult temperament characteristics predicted lower quality of mother-child relationships (for Anger/Frustration F(2,324) = 69.07, β = .46, p <.001; for Falling Reactivity/Shootability F(2,324) = 74.36, β = -.48, p <.001, for Discomfort F(2,324) = 26.13, β = .20, p <.001, for Sadness F(2,324) = 27.15, β = .21, p <.001, for Fear F(2,324) = 23.00, β = .16, p <.001 ) and higher maternal self-efficacy predicted higher quality of mother-child relationships ( R2 = .17, F(1,325) = 68.21; p<.001). Among temperamental characteristics, maternal self-efficacy mediated the effect of Anger/Frustration on mother-child relationship quality (R2 = .41, β = 3.80, p< .001, see Figure 1). Also, a similar pattern was observed for Falling Reactivity/Soothability. Maternal self-efficacy mediated the effect of Falling Reactivity/Soothability on mother-child relationship quality (R2 = .43, β = -4.10, p< .001, see Figure 2).
Conclusions: Maternal self-efficacy plays a mediating role for the effect of two temperamental characteristics, namely, Anger/Frustration and Falling Reactivity/Soothability, on the quality of mother-child relationship. These findings point at the importance of supporting maternal self-efficacy, especially for mothers of children exhibiting high anger and frustration, as well as those who are highly emotionally reactive and difficult to be soothed.

Authors

• FATIMA TUBA YAYLACI, Fatih Sultan Mehmet Vakif University
  Presenting Author

• Merve Kiraz