The Role of Parent Psychopathology in Emotion Socialization

Abstract

This study examined the relation between parent psychopathology symptoms and emotion socialization practices in a sample of mothers and fathers of preschool-aged children with behavior problems (N = 109, M age = 44.60 months, 50 % male). Each parent completed a self-report rating scale of their psychopathology symptoms and audio-recorded naturalistic interactions with their children, which were coded for reactions to child negative affect. Results supported a spillover hypothesis for mothers. Specifically, mothers who reported greater overall psychopathology symptoms, anxiety symptoms, substance use, and borderline and Cluster A personality symptoms were more likely to exhibit non-supportive reactions. Additionally, mothers who reported greater anxiety and Cluster A personality symptoms were more likely to not respond to child negative affect. Compensatory and crossover hypotheses were also supported. Partners of mothers who reported high levels of anxiety were more likely to use supportive reactions to child negative affect. In contrast, partners of mothers who reported high levels of borderline and Cluster A personality symptoms and overall psychopathology symptoms were more likely to show non-supportive reactions. With the exception of borderline personality symptoms, fathers’ psychopathology was unrelated to parental responses to child negative affect. Results highlight the importance of maternal psychopathology in parental emotion socialization practices.

Who Receives Speech/Language Services by 5 Years of Age in the United States?

“…Doing so may reduce the risk of having a limited vocabulary (Morgan et al, 2015). Parental mental and physical health problems are associated with cognitive and other delays in young children (Breaux, Harvey, & Lugo-Candelas, 2013;Mensah & Kiernan, 2011) including in speech/language (Harrison & McLeod, 2010). For example, depressed mothers may be less attentive to delays in their children's health and development (Grace, Evindar, & Stewart, 2003) or interact less frequently with their children in cognitively stimulating ways (Murray, Hipwell, Hooper, Stein, & Cooper, 1996), thereby increasing their children's likelihood for identification for EI services generally (Feinberg, Donahue, Bliss, & Silverstein, 2012).…”

Which psychiatric symptoms of the mother are related with preschool child’s emotional and behavioral problems?

“…Externalizing problems of the child disrupt the quality of parental care (24). Besides the basic needs of the child, the quality of the childmother relationship affects the child's social, emotional and cognitive development for years (13,25). Therefore it looks necessary to identify children at risk at the earliest period as possible and to develop appropriate intervention programs which would include the parents as well.…”

“…In a period when the child is so sensitive to criticism and punishment, the problems experienced with the most interacting person (the mother) may affect the child's social-emotional and cognitive development (13). Besides the mother's personality traits, her psychological processes are also effective in her interaction with the child.…”

Limited effects of pre‐existing maternal antisocial behaviours on infant neurodevelopment: A pilot study

“…Parental psychopathology is related to increased reporting of child internalizing and externalizing behaviours in several studies (Breaux, Harvey, & Lugo-Candelas, 2014;Kroes et al, 2003;Phares, Compas, & Howell, 1989;Treutler & Epkins, 2003) that may also be related to the formation of the parent-child relationship (Treutler & Epkins, 2003). Pechtel, Murray, Brumariu, and Lyons-Ruth (2013) and Laurent and Ablow (2013) explored the association between parental emotional responses to infant cues and parental psychopathology.…”