Angry Responses to Infant Challenges: Parent, Marital, and Child Genetic Factors Associated With Harsh Parenting

Abstract

This study examined genetic and environmental influences on harsh parenting of 9-month-olds. We examined whether positive child-, parent-, and family-level characteristics were associated with harsh parenting in addition to negative characteristics. We were particularly interested in examining evocative gene-environment correlation (rGE) by testing the effect of birth parent temperament on adoptive parents’ harsh parenting. Additionally, we examined associations among adoptive parents’ own temperaments, their marital relationship quality, and harsh parenting. Adoptive fathers’ (but not adoptive mothers’) harsh parenting was inversely related to an index of birth mother positive temperament (reward dependence), indicating evocative rGE. Higher marital quality was associated with less harsh parenting, but only for adoptive fathers. Adoptive parents’ negative temperamental characteristics (harm avoidance) were related to hostile parenting. Findings suggest the importance of enhancing positive family characteristics in addition to mitigating negative characteristics, as well as engaging multiple levels of the family system to prevent harsh parenting.

Birth and Adoptive Parent Antisocial Behavior and Parenting: A Study of Evocative Gene–Environment Correlation

“…First, our analyses highlight the possibility of evocative r GE effects on change in negative parenting from 18 to 27 months, although these effects were only apparent for adoptive fathers. These results are partially consistent with prior research (within the same sample as the current study) that found evocative r GE effects of birth mother reward dependence on adoptive father harsh parenting at 9 months, but no evocative r GE effects on maternal harsh parenting during infancy (Hajal et al, 2015). Taken together, this suggests that evocative rGE effects on parenting may be present during early childhood for fathers but not for mothers.…”

“…Other work replicated these results in a sample of 7–12 year old adopted children (O’Connor, Deater-Deckard, Fulker, Rutter, & Plomin, 1998). In a recent study using the current sample, birth mother personality was associated with harsh parenting when children were 9 months of age, but only for adoptive fathers and not adoptive mothers (Hajal et al, 2015). Finally, another recent study in the current sample found that birth mother externalizing problems were associated with negative reactions from adoptive mothers during infancy, but only when the adoptive parents reported having marital problems (Fearon et al, 2014).…”

“…Despite this advantage, few studies to date have examined the effects of parental antisocial behavior on parenting while simultaneously considering genetic confounds of this association. Although previous studies within this sample have examined evocative rGE effects on parenting in early childhood (Hajal et al, 2015, Fearon et al, 2014), this is the first study to examine the joint roles of birth parent antisocial behavior and adoptive parent antisocial behavior in the etiology of negative parenting behavior during toddlerhood. Because the etiology of negative parenting differs across mothers and fathers (Klahr & Burt, 2014) and early childhood work suggests differences for mothers vs. fathers in evocative r GE effects (Hajal et al, 2015), we also examined potential sex differences.…”

“…Although previous studies within this sample have examined evocative rGE effects on parenting in early childhood (Hajal et al, 2015, Fearon et al, 2014), this is the first study to examine the joint roles of birth parent antisocial behavior and adoptive parent antisocial behavior in the etiology of negative parenting behavior during toddlerhood. Because the etiology of negative parenting differs across mothers and fathers (Klahr & Burt, 2014) and early childhood work suggests differences for mothers vs. fathers in evocative r GE effects (Hajal et al, 2015), we also examined potential sex differences. We expected to find an association between adoptive parent antisocial behavior and negative parenting (Byford et al, 2014; Kim-Cohen et al, 2006).…”

Mother and child temperament as interacting correlates of parenting sense of competence in toddlerhood

“…In past studies, parents who were higher in neuroticism or emotional instability reported less perceived parenting competence and less parenting satisfaction (Bornstein et al, ; Bornstein et al, ; de Haan et al, ). Corresponding research on observed parenting demonstrated that parents with temperaments characterized by greater fearfulness, cautiousness, and negative emotionality were harsher as parents (Clark et al, ; Hajal et al, ). Combined, these findings suggest that high maternal negative emotionality may interfere with parents' perceived abilities to meet the everyday demands of parenting and their satisfaction in their parenting role.…”