Maternal Autonomy Granting: Predictors of Normal and Depressed Mothers' Compliance and Noncompliance with the Requests of Five-Year-Olds

Abstract

Maternal compliance and noncompliance to child requests, thought to represent an autonomy-granting aspect of socialization, were studied in 24 well mothers and 26 mothers with a history of depression and their 5-year-old children. Mothers continued to retain substantially more power than children in the control process. There were no differences between normal and depressed mothers in the extent to which they granted or denied their children's requests, but the determinants of maternal autonomy granting differed in the 2 groups. Depressed, but not well, mothers' responses to child requests could be predicted from their self-reported mood prior to the interaction and from the concurrent child's behavior. Depressed mothers who reported negative mood and whose children were uncooperative most often denied their requests. Depressed mothers' noncompliance to their children's requests was determined by the quantity rather than quality of their children's behavior: they did not discriminate between skillful and unskillful forms of the children's autonomy expressions.

Mother and infant affective involvement states and maternal depression

“…The depressed mother expresses flat or negative affect interrupting the baby's states and his involvement with objects or persons. Depressed mothers experience greater difficulties in maintaining a lasting and daily involvement (Kochanska, & Kuczynski, 1961;Stern, Robert-Tissot, deMuralt & Cramer, 1989), are more self centered, consider themselves to be bad mothers, and feel guilty for not giving enough to their child (Kochanska, 1990;Whiffen, 1989;Whiffen, & Gottlib, 1989).…”

Parenting and self‐regulation in preschoolers: a meta‐analysis

“…However, it is also reasonable to assume that when children show good self-regulatory behaviour, parents feel positive emotions, which they express to their child or share with him or her (Dix, 1991;. Research has indeed shown a positive correlation between responsiveness and self-regulation (Belsky et al, 2000;Kochanska & Kuczynski, 1991;Shamir-Essakow, Ungerer, Rapee, & Safier, 2004;Smith & Walden, 2001).…”

“…Negative control includes behaviours such as power-assertive control, negativity, coercive behaviours, hostility, utterance of criticism, intrusiveness, over-control and overinvolvement (Crockenberg & Litman, 1990;Parpal & Maccoby, 1985, Silverman & Ragusa, 1990. Responsiveness consists of behaviours like warmth, acceptance, approval, affection, synchrony between parent and child, contingent behaviour, responsiveness, sensitivity and involvement Kochanska & Kuczynski, 1991;Lindsey et al, 1997;Parpal & Maccoby, 1985;Putnam et al, 2002;Shamir-Essakow et al, 2004;Smith & Walden, 2001).…”

Maternal depression symptomology, stress, and behavioral outcomes in children: a one year longitudinal study

“…independence. Contrary to those findings, child-rearing environments of currently depressed mothers with school-aged children reflect an increased use of control strategies (Kochanska, 1990;Kochanska «&;Kuczynski, 1991;Susman, Trickett, Jannotti. Hollenbeck.…”

“…Research on autonomy granting of clinically depressed mothers and their 5-yearold children indicates that depressed mother's autonomy granting reflects situational factors and personal mood significantly more than nondepressed mothers (Kochanska & Kuczynski, 1991). In contrast to depressed mothers, nondepressed mothers' autonomy granting techniques reflect parental attitudes and philosophies (Kochanska, 1990).…”