Maternal Expressive Style and Children's Emotional Development

Abstract

Maternal expressive styles, based on a combination of positive and negative expressive patterns, were identified at two points in time and related to multiple aspects of preschool children's emotional development. Mother–child pairs from 260 families participated when the children were 3 years old, and 240 participated again at aged 4 years. Expressive styles were identified at age 3 using cluster analysis, replicated at age 4 and examined in relation to children's emotional understanding, expressiveness and regulation. Three expressive styles were identified: high positive/low negative, very low positive/average negative and average positive/very high negative. Cluster membership was stable in 63% of families from age 3 to 4 years; no systematic patterns of change were evident in the remaining families. Expressive style was related to aspects of children's emotional expression at 3 years and to emotion expression and regulation at 4 years. Children's expressiveness and regulation at age 3 were also related to changes in mothers' expressive styles over 1 year. Identifying mothers' expressive styles provides a unique way to understand the potential role of the emotional climates in which preschool-aged children learn to express and regulate their own emotions.

What enhances the development of emotion understanding in young children? A longitudinal study of interpersonal predictors

“…Although children's EU, on average, advances considerably from age 2 years to middle childhood (Hughes & Dunn, ; Nelson et al ., ; Ontai & Thompson, ), substantial individual differences in EU exist among children (Harris, ; Pons & Harris, ). Why do some children excel in EU at an early age whereas others exhibit more limited development?…”

The Maternal Role On Emotional Competence Development of Early Childhood

“…details).The link between emotion socialization through emotional expression and emotional competence of children is described byNelson, O'Brien, Calkins, Leerkes & Marcovitch (2012) that emotional expression of mother correlates with child's emotional regulation Perlman, Camras & Pelphrey (2008). also confirm link between mother's emotional expression and children's knowledge of emotional expression.…”

Optimizing the Development of Emotional Competence in Early Childhood

“…Through modeling, parents also indirectly teach children how to express and regulate emotions. Nelson, O'Brien, Calkins, Leerkes, and Marcovitch (2012) reported differences in the development of emotion regulation in terms of maternal child expressive style. Mothers who have high maternal expressive style (very expressive in positive emotions and less expressive in negative emotions) have children with better emotion regulation.…”