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Parental emotional support and subsequent internalizing and externalizing problems among children

Carolyn A McCarty1, Frederick J Zimmerman, David L Digiuseppe

  • 1Department of Pediatrics, Child Health Institute, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98115-8160, USA. cmccarty@u.washington.edu

Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics : JDBP
|August 16, 2005
PubMed

Insights

Parental emotional support significantly impacts child behavior. Providing early emotional support, even from age 2, is crucial for reducing a child's later externalizing problems.

Area of Science:

  • Child Psychology
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Family Studies

Background:

  • Childhood internalizing and externalizing problems are significant public health concerns.
  • Parental emotional support is a key factor in child development.
  • Understanding the timing of this association is critical for early intervention.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine the association between early parental emotional support and child internalizing and externalizing problems.
  • To investigate the developmental timing of this relationship.
  • To highlight the importance of early parental emotional support for positive child development.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized a nationally representative, longitudinal sample of 1361 children.
  • Assessed parental emotional support using the Home Observation for the Measurement of the Environment (HOME) inventory.
  • Employed parent report and interviewer observations for comprehensive assessment.

Main Results:

  • Parental emotional support at age 6 years was negatively related to child externalizing problems at age 8 years, controlling for earlier problems.
  • A developmental model indicated that less parental emotional support as early as age 2 years is associated with later externalizing problems.
  • The findings underscore the long-term impact of early emotional support.

Conclusions:

  • Very early parental emotional support plays a vital role in mitigating child externalizing behaviors.
  • Interventions promoting early parental emotional support can foster positive child development trajectories.
  • Longitudinal research confirms the enduring influence of early parent-child interactions on behavioral outcomes.

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