Maternal BIS sensitivity, overprotective parenting, and children’s internalizing behaviors

Abstract

Although sensitivity to the Behavioral Inhibition System within Gray’s (1970) reinforcement sensitivity theory relates to individuals’ own depressive and anxious symptomatology, less is known about how parental BIS sensitivity relates to early indicators of internalizing problems in young children. Moreover, the extent to which this parental characteristic relates to parenting behavior, and children’s internalizing problems above and beyond parenting, remains unknown. The current study assessed maternal BIS sensitivity, overprotective parenting, and toddlers’ internalizing behaviors in a sample of 91 mothers while controlling for mothers’ own internalizing symptomatology. Heightened BIS sensitivity related to both overprotective parenting and internalizing behaviors. Overprotective parenting partially mediated the relation between BIS sensitivity and children’s internalizing behaviors, although BIS sensitivity maintained a marginal relation to internalizing behaviors. Maternal BIS sensitivity and toddler internalizing behaviors may represent a shared disposition towards inhibition that is somewhat accounted for by overprotective parenting.

Maternal personality and psychopathology as determinants of parenting behavior: A quantitative integration of two parenting literatures.

“…Parenting researchers recognize the critical role of individual parenting behaviors on child development (e.g., power assertion; Kochanska et al, 2003). However, results from the present study suggest that a given matemal psychological characteristic may demonstrate similar associations with different subdimensions within matemal warmth and control.…”

“…For example, Kochanska, Aksan, and Nichols (2003) examined the individual parenting behavior of power assertion and found that it predicted future child behavioral outcomes. The examination of individual parenting behaviors can be useful in informing parenting intervention efforts by identifying the specific behaviors that are associated with poor child outcomes.…”

Intergenerational transmission of self-regulation: A multidisciplinary review and integrative conceptual framework.

“…Notably, we identified only a few studies that considered relations between parent and child behavioral inhibition/fear (e.g., Arroyo, Nevarez, Segrin, & Harwood, 2012; Coplan, Arbeau, & Armer, 2008; Daniels & Plomin, 1985; Degnan, Henderson, Fox, & Rubin, 2008; Gartstein et al, 2010; Kiel & Buss, 2011; Rickman & Davidson, 1994), and these offered mixed support for parent-child similarity. Fewer still reported relations between parent behavioral inhibition/fear and potential mechanisms linking parent and child behavioral inhibition/fear (e.g., Kiel & Maack, 2012; Tackett, Nelson, & Busby, 2013). As such, more work is needed that considers parent and child behavioral inhibition/fear and the mechanisms that may mediate such relations.…”

Intergenerational Transmission of Perceived Bonding Styles and Paternal Emotion Socialization: Mediation Through Paternal Emotion Dysregulation

“…Overprotective parents tend to control every aspect of their children's lives, even in situations that do not warrant it, thereby leaving no freedom for their children (Rubin et al 2002). Consequently, it is no surprise that parental overprotection has been consistently associated with the poor adjustment of children, including a series of psychosocial (e.g., shyness, wariness and fearfulness), psychopathological (e.g., clinical anxiety, depression, eating disorders, panic disorder and externalizing problems) and physiological (e.g., lower cardiac vagal tone at age 4) outcomes (Parker 1983;Koszycki et al 2013;Young et al 2013) in both community (Kiel and Maack 2012;Nishikawa et al 2010) and atrisk (Gere et al 2012) samples.…”