Interactions Between Child Personality and Parenting in Relation to Child Well-Being: Support for Diathesis–Stress and Differential Susceptibility Patterns

Abstract

It is well-recognized that the individual characteristics of children moderate the effects of developmental conditions on the well-being of a child. The majority of interactions follow a diathesis–stress pattern; there is also evidence for differential susceptibility and vantage sensitivity models. The present study aimed to examine interactions between parenting and child personality in relation to the well-being of a Russian child and to evaluate the models for moderated relationships. Participants were primary caregivers of 370 children aged 2–7 years. Moderation effects were examined using hierarchical multiple regression and bivariate linear models. In order to differentiate between the models of environmental sensitivity, the analysis of regions of significance was used. Consistent with a diathesis–stress framework, the results revealed that among children low in conscientiousness and high in activity, punitive parenting was a risk factor for externalizing problems; among introverted and fearful children, punitive parenting was a risk factor for internalizing problems. Positive parenting/involvement was a protective factor for internalizing behavior, only for children low in openness. The findings also demonstrate the following evidence for the differential susceptibility model: children low in Beta higher-order personality trait (also known as plasticity or personal growth) showed more total problems when faced with low positive parenting, but fewer problems when experiencing high-quality parenting.

A person-centered approach to resilience and vulnerability in emerging adulthood: Predictions from parenting and personality in adolescence

“…The finding that emerging adults in the Resilient profile were distinguished by a combination of positive parenting of mothers and lower emotional stability and conscientiousness might seem puzzling. However, this pattern of findings aligns with the growing understanding that parenting behaviors and children's personalities interact in predicting developmental outcomes, exacerbating or buffering their effects (e.g., Loginova, & Slobodskaya, 2021;Pascual-Sagastizabal et al, 2021;Rioux et al, 2016). More specifically, in our study positive parenting behaviors of mothers may have buffered the potential negative effects of lower emotional stability and lower conscientiousness in the Resilient group.…”

A longitudinal investigation of caregiving and adolescent post-traumatic stress symptoms during COVID-19: evidence for high resting RSA as a susceptibility factor

“…For example, some evidence suggests that youth with relatively well-developed capacities for parasympathetic regulation display better adjustment in supportive family contexts, but not worse adjustment in unsupportive family contexts (Eisenberg et al, 2012;Van der Graaff et al, 2016). Consistent with a Diathesis Stress/DR framework, Loginova and Slobodskaya (2021) found that parenting style interacted with child temperament such that fearful temperament predicted greater adjustment problems in the context of punitive parenting but not better adjustment in the context of positive parenting. However, in the same sample, these researchers also found evidence of DS/BSC, wherein children who scored higher on a measure of personality flexibility/plasticity showed more adjustment problems in the context of punitive parenting, but fewer problems in the context of positive parenting.…”