Related Experiment Videos
Transmission of risk factors across three generations
J S Brook1, M Whiteman, D W Brook
1Department of Community and Preventive Medicine, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY 10029, USA.
Insights
Grandmothers
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Family Studies
- Behavioral Science
Background:
- Parenting styles and toddler behavior are influenced by intergenerational factors.
- Understanding the transmission of risk factors across generations is crucial for early intervention.
- The role of grandmothers in shaping parenting and child outcomes requires further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the indirect effects of grandmothers' characteristics on toddlers' anger through parental influence.
- To investigate the mediating role of child-rearing practices in the association between grandparent/parent behaviors and toddler anger.
- To explore the intergenerational transmission of risk factors from grandmothers to parents to toddlers.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal study design with data collected across three generations.
- Sample included 185 toddlers (2 years old), their parents, and their grandmothers.
- Assessment of parent-grandmother relationships during parental adolescence and parent-toddler relationships during toddlerhood.
Main Results:
- Grandmothers' personalities and child-rearing practices indirectly influenced grandchildren's anger via parental influence.
- Parental and grandmaternal smoking behaviors affected toddlers' anger, mediated by child-rearing practices.
- Evidence supports the intergenerational transmission of risk factors from grandmothers to parents to toddlers.
Conclusions:
- Child-rearing practices play a critical role in mediating the impact of grandmaternal and parental behaviors on toddler anger.
- Multigenerational approaches are essential for understanding and addressing developmental risks.
- Findings can inform the development of prevention programs targeting family dynamics across generations.
Abstract:
The present study examined the association between the parent-grandmother relationship, the parenting of toddlers, and toddlers' anger. Parent-grandmother relations were assessed when the parents were adolescents. Patient-toddler relations were examined when the toddlers were two years of age. The sample consists of 185 2-yr-old toddlers, one of the parents of each toddler, and the corresponding grandmother of each toddler. The findings support our hypothesis that there would be an indirect effect of the grandmothers' personalities and child-rearing practices on their grandchildren through the influence of the grandmothers on the parents. The influence of both the grandmothers' and the parents' smoking behaviors on the toddlers' anger was mediated by their child-rearing practices. The significance of the findings from a multigenerational study are discussed with reference to incorporating them into prevention programs. The findings are consistent with the notion of the intergenerational transmission of risk factors--from grandparents to parents to toddlers.